Hawks vs. Knicks preview: Atlanta seeks their first win on the young season

The Atlanta Hawks open up their second game of the regular season against the New York Knicks, looking for their first win of the season after dropping the first game at home to the Detroit Pistons, 106-94.

The Hawks announced Wednesday that they will be without Mike Muscala, who injured his ankle on a drive to the basket against the Pistons, as well as Thabo Sefolosha, who is still rehabbing his injured ankle. These two absences should make for an interesting rotation for the Hawks, as Tim Hardaway Jr. was inactive Tuesday, Justin Holiday saw no playing time, and Lamar Patterson playing 18 minutes after being the 15th man on the roster.

The Knicks are coming off of a game against the Bucks where they won by a score of 122-97. Derrick Williams led the Knicks in points scored with 24 on 8-of-17 shooting. He attempted more shots than Carmelo Anthony, who had 11 points on 16 attempts. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis had 16 points and 5 rebounds in his debut.

Atlanta will look to better defend the perimeter, as they gave the Detroit Pistons plenty of good looks in Tuesday's opener, which really buried the Hawks. More production out of Al Horford on the glass would also be something to look for in this one, as well as to see the balance of scoring. It was pretty even in the opener, with Dennis Schroder leading the way with 20 points.

The season is very early, and we'll continue to learn how the Hawks are going to operate Thursday night.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, October 29, 8:00 p.m. ET

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: TNT

Radio: 92.9 The Game FM