Jalen Johnson (right shoulder soreness) has been listed as questionable for tonight’s NBA Cup game with the Knicks, and the Hawks just announced his status for the game. He is available for today’s game, as are Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter.

Heading into today’s game, the Hawks rank 8th in the NBA in PPG, 6th in FG%, 19th in 3PA, 24th in 3P%, 6th in FTA, 24th in turnovers and 6th in rebounding. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 16th in points per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 6th in offensive rebounding percentage and 11th in free throw percentage.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 20th in field goals allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 26th in effective field goal percentage allowed. Atlanta’s defense had been playing well before the games against the Lakers and Nuggets, but there they had two really bad games in a row. The Knicks have one of, if not the best offense in the NBA, so the Hawks have to be better.

New York is currently 7th in PPG, 2nd in FG%, 18th in 3PA, 2nd 3P%, 27th in free throw attempts, 26th in rebounds and 4th in turnovers. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks rank 1st in points per 100 possessions, 2nd in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in TOV%, 19th in terms of offensive rebound percentage and 18th in terms of free throw rate. It’s safe to say the Knicks offense can do some serious damage with Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns. Towns has also been a major matchup problem for the Hawks in the past, scoring 34 points in their last matchup in November.

As good as Brunson and Towns are on offense, they can be targeted on defense. The Knicks rank 10th in PPG allowed, 16th in FG% allowed, 19th in 3PA allowed and 20th in 3P% allowed.

Trae Young struggled mightily in the loss to the Nuggets, scoring 15 points and adding 10 assists. Most of his points in the game came when the game was already out of control and the Hawks will need his best tonight. There will be a playoff-like game and atmosphere and in these moments the best player must step up. He did it a lot, especially against the Knicks.

Dyson Daniels was really bad on offense in the last game against the Knicks, going 3-16 from the field and scoring six points, but he played great defense against Jalen Brunson and had four steals in the game. Daniels has been one of the best defenders in the NBA this year and will have a tough task tonight against one of the best players in the league.

Zaccharie Risacher scored the best goal night of his young career in the last game against New York. Risacher scored 33 points, shot 11-18 from the field (6-10 from three) and also had seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He stuffed the stat sheet in the last game against the Knicks, and while I don’t expect that kind of game from him tonight, he’s going to have to hit his shots if the Hawks want to compete in this game.

Clint Capela played most of the minutes at center in the last game against the Knicks and had a lot of trouble guarding Towns. Capela will have to stop Towns from dominating the glass and give her offense more opportunities, as well as guarding the three-point line. Towns has been very good for the Knicks this year and is a tough opponent for Atlanta.

The bench (when everyone is healthy) is one of the best in the NBA and the Hawks have a big lead over the Knicks in this category. Bogdan Bogdanovic missed Sunday’s game against Denver and did not play in the last game against New York in November. De’Andre Hunter also missed this game. Expect those two plus Onyeka Okongwu off the bench for Atlanta and Vit Krejci. Krejci has been playing against Kobe Bufkin lately and that will likely continue.

Atlanta Hawks receive expert predictions for reaching the NBA Cup Finals and against the Thunder

The Atlanta Hawks and College Park Skyhawks have a unique opportunity tomorrow in New York

Analysts name the No. 1 change the Hawks should make this season to improve