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UPDATE: The Hawks announced that Ersan Ilyasova and Tyler Cavanaugh (who was recalled on Sunday morning) will miss Sunday’s game.
Super Bowl Sunday is here and, as you may expect, that is the focus of the sporting world. With that said, there is plenty of basketball to be played from coast to coast and the Atlanta Hawks are involved in matinee action. As is customary, the New York Knicks will host a noon tip-off at Madison Square Garden and that provides a great deal of intrigue.
The Hawks enjoyed a promising start on Friday evening before falling off the map defensively on the way to a decisive loss to the Boston Celtics. In this match-up, Atlanta encounters a team that is not quite as potent as the Celtics but, in the same breath, the Knicks enter as 5.5-point favorites in their home building and with good reason.
New York has the best player on the court in Kristaps Porzingis and that matters. The Hawks had a lot of trouble dealing with Al Horford on Friday evening and, while Porzingis is not an identical player, Atlanta’s starting lineup (featuring Miles Plumlee and Ersan Ilyasova) will have its hands full against the size and skill of Porzingis and Enes Kanter.
On the bright side, Dennis Schröder is off the injury report after a one-game hiccup with a shoulder strain and Taurean Prince is coming off one of his best games of the season. In fact, Atlanta’s offense has performed better in recent days and, if the defense can follow in this spot, there would be reason for optimism.
Stay tuned throughout the afternoon for all the latest.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, February 4, 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden
TV: Fox Sports Southeast, Fox Sports Go, NBA League Pass
Radio: 92.9 The Game (Atlanta)