KettleCast

It got tight at the end of the game, but the Hawks are able to get a 128 - 124 win in Philadelphia to take a 1-0 series lead. The Hawks stun the 76ers and their crowd with a 42 point first quarter. The Sixers are able to get within 2 points with 10 seconds to go, but a couple of clutch free-throws from Bogdan put the game out of reach.

Trae Young continues his excellent play, putting up 35 points and 10 assists against the staunch 76er defense. He got help from JC (21 points on 7 of 9 shooting) and Bogdan (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assist). Red Velvet had a couple of incredible assists late - finding Bogi for a triple and a streaking John Collins for a clear path foul.

The 76ers got a fantastic night from their MVP candidate Joel Embiid. Though he was clearly hampered on his injured right knee, the big man put up 39 points and pulled down 9 boards.

Game 2 of this series is on Tuesday in Philly before it shifts to Atlanta.

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The Hawks claim a 4 -1 series win over the Knicks with a 103 - 89 win in New York. Trae Young is fantastic with 36 points and 9 assists, Clint Capela backs up his trash talk with 14 points and 15 boards, and DeAndre Hunter has his best performance in the playoffs with 15 points, an assist, a steal, and a block.

The Knicks have their best shooting performance from the perimeter, shooting 12 of 30 from deep. It is not enough as they are out scored 51 to 42 in the second half.

The Hawks will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.

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Danilo Gallinari has a monster game, 21 points (on 6 of 9 shooting) and 4 rebounds, off the bench for the Hawks. The Hawks use that performance and a strong second half to knock off the Knicks in Game 4 of the first round. 

The Knicks got solid games from their top three players, Randle had 23  points and 10 boards, Rose had 18 points and 6 assists, and RJ Barrett was solid with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. It did not matter as Trae Young got going, 27 points and 9 assists, and John Collins had his best game of the series.

The Hawks grab a 3-1 series lead as the series goes back to New York for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

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The Hawks - Knicks series shifts to Atlanta and the Hawks get a huge 105 - 94  win in State Farm Arena. The Hawks get a balanced scoring effort with 7 players scoring in double digits and limit the Knicks to 36% shooting to claim a 2 - 1 series lead. Derrick Rose continues to be a thorn in the side of the Hawks as he scored 30 points and almost single handedly kept the Knicks in the game. Rose did not get much help as Most Improved Player Julius Randle scored 14 and RJ Barrett scored 7. 

A 22-3 run at the end of the 2nd quarter for the Hawks built a 14 point lead at halftime and the Hawks were able to hold onto the lead for the rest of the game.

Game 4 of the series is Sunday at 1 pm in State Farm Arena.

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The Knicks make a big change at halftime by starting Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson. The Knicks turn a 13 point deficit into a 9 point win behind some hot shooting and solid defense. The Hawks get another sterling performance from Trae, 30 points and 7 assists, but foul trouble for John Collins and cold shooting from deep doom the Birds.

The teams meet again for Game 3 in Atlanta on Friday.

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Let's have some fun and look at the nickname matchup in this first round series.

Nickname Matchup: Hawk-Names vs Knick-Names

The 4-5 matchup in the East should be one of the most compelling series in the first round of the playoffs. Playoff basketball is always decided by the individual matchups. Everyone knows the statistics – points, rebounds, assists – but there is more to these matchups than that. Who has the best nicknames - the Hawks or the Knicks?

Enough about the past. Let’s look at the nickname matchups for this series. We will start with the starters.

Point Guard

The Hawks are helmed by “Ice” Trae Young. Not only is this a strong nickname but Trae has also adopted shivering after big shots bringing the nickname to life. Ryan Cameron punctuates each of the point guard’s deep triples with “TRAE-T-L for THREEEEEE!”. The Knicks have started Elfrid “Elf” Payton for the whole season. The shorthand nickname “Elf” does not instill fear into any opponent. In fact, it makes you think of Will Ferrell movie character. Advantage Hawks. 

Shooting Guard

At shooting guard, Bogdan Bogdanovic is going against Reggie Bullock. Bogdanovic, in his first season with the Hawks, is best known as “Bogey”, a smooth nickname for a leading man. His distinctive name and his lights out shooting ability have led to another nickname, “Bangdanovic!” Reggie Bullock has no nickname at all. Advantage Hawks.

Small Forward

The Hawks are happy to have De’Andre Hunter back for the playoffs. Much like his quiet demeanor, De’Andre has not had many nicknames. At UVA, he was known as “Big Game Hunter”, which is reminiscent of Laker great “Big Game” James Worthy. In Atlanta, it was initially reported De’Andre was given the nickname “Megatron” by John Collins and some coaches for being so strong. Hunter later corrected this saying that the real nickname was “Optimus”. For the Knicks, R.J. Barrett has been widely heralded at every stage of his career and has picked up multiple monikers. In a comparison to Kobe, R. J. has been called “The Maple Mamba” because he is from Canada. He has been called “Headband Ro” because his first name is Rowan, “Duke of York” which combines his collegiate and professional teams, and Star J, a clever play on his initials. Advantage Knicks.

Power Forward

John “JC” Collins’ nicknames have referred to his dunking ability with a religious flair - the “Dunkin’ Deacon” and the fan favorite “John the Baptist.”  Julius Randle has had a ridiculous year- even getting some MVP buzz. His astonishing improvement has made his less than flattering nicknames, “BeyBlade”, truly obsolete. Randle’s other nickname is “Orange Julius.” While a marked improvement, a nickname based on a chain of retail juice stores is no match for a nickname based on a Biblical holy man. Advantage Hawks.

Center

The center match up features a pair of defensive-minded players, Clint Capela and Nerlens Noel. Their nicknames refer to landmarks and are in the lineage of defensive superstar and Hall of Fame inductee “Big Ben” Wallace. Noel’s defense has garnered him the clever nickname “Nerlen Wall” for protecting the basket. Capela, the Hawks big man from Switzerland, similarly has been dubbed “The Swiss Bank”. Advantage Knicks.

Now for the reserves. 

 Advantage Hawks.

Certainly, this series will be decided on the court, but looking only at nicknames, the Hawks lead 4-2. I am taking this as a good omen.

The Hawks win game one of their match up with the Knicks in dramatic fashion as Trae Young hits a floater with .9 seconds left. The 107-105 score is indicative of just how close this game was. Both teams hit 42 shots, 11 free throws, and scored 50 points in the paint. The difference would come from behind the arc as the Hawks hit 12 of 34 attempts from deep to the Knicks 10 of 30.

Trae shined in his playoff debut, scoring 32 points, dishing 10 assists, grabbing 7 boards, and hitting the game winner. The raucous crowd at MSG greeted the 3rd year player out of Oklahoma to start the game, but it was Trae who had the last laugh - shushing the 15 thousand plus after draining the go ahead bucket. 

These teams meet again on Tuesday for Game 2. 

Despite the postseason standings being set, the Hawks power past the Rockets 124-95 to get their 41st win on the season. Onyeka Okongwu has his best performance of the season, 21 points and 15 boards, and DeAndre Hunter gets his first extended run since coming off of injury, 14 points, 2 rebounds, and a block in 24 minutes of play.

The Rockets got a usual Hawks' hating performance from D.J. Augustin, 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, and 16 points from Kelly Olynk.

The Hawks have a week off before facing the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

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The Hawks double their win total, from 20 to 40, with a resounding 116-93 win over the Orlando Magic. The Hawks starters help build a 30 point lead in the third quarter and Coach McMillan is able to clear his bench in the fourth as the Hawks move one step closer to clenching home court in the first round of the playoffs.

Bogdan Bogdanovic continues his hot shooting with 27 points including 4 three pointers, JC hits 4 three pointers as well, and Trae has 18 points and 7 assists in 26 mins.

The Magic got 18 points from R.J. Hampton and a double double, 12 points and 11 boards, from Atlanta's own Wendell Carter, Jr.

The Hawks face the Houston Rockets at State Farm Arena on Sunday for their final regular season game.

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The Hawks clinch a top six seed in the Eastern Conference, ensuring they do not have to play in the Play-In Tournament. The Wizards did not make it easy, building a 13 point lead in the fourth quarter. The Hawks finally are able to get some three point shots to fall, and a triple from John Collins with under a minute to go in the game gives the Hawks a lead they would hold on to. The 120-116 win pushes the Hawks record to 39-31.

The Wizards got 34 points and 15 assists from Russell Westbrook and 16 points off the bench from Daniel Gafford. Davis Bertan's tying three pointer bounced off the rim.

The Hawks got strong play from Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, John Collins and Clint Capela. They play the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

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