Jayesh Pagar
Things are looking pretty bad for the New York Knicks right now. They are currently trailing 2-1 in the series against the Atlanta Hawks and will be playing at State Farm Arena again for Game 4 on Saturday.
They really need to win this game if they want to keep the series going. If they lose one more game, it will be very tough for them to come back in the series.
The series has unfolded quite differently from what anyone in New York had hoped. The Knicks won Game 1 but lost Games 2 and 3 by a combined two points, with both defeats decided on the last possession.
In Game 3, the Hawks again found the fourth-quarter answers, with CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga scoring the points. New York had 18 turnovers and made only 28.6% of their shots from three-point range.
A 3-1 series deficit against the Hawks would be a disaster for a team built to go deep. Mike Brown knows it. So does every Knicks fan watching. Here are three bold predictions for Game 4.
Prediction 1: Jalen Brunson Scores 25-Plus and Plays Like Himself Again
Brunson dropped 26, 29, and 28 points in back-to-back games in this series, so the points have obviously been there. But unfortunately, he has also been the one at the heart of every late misstep. In Game 3, not only did he miss a three-pointer in the air with 16 seconds remaining but he also turned the ball over in the last play as the Knicks were unable to even attempt a shot.
This is the game where Brunson needs to look like himself from start to finish, not just in stretches. Playoff Brunson is a different player. Last year, before the Knicks ran into the Pacers, he was one of the best closers in the league, and there is no reason that player cannot show up in Game 4.
Brunson drops at least 25 and makes the right play when the game is on the line.
Prediction 2: Mikal Bridges Struggles Again and Sees Fewer Minutes
Bridges ended up with no points in Game 3, going 0-for-3 with one rebound and two assists in 21 minutes. Four-quarter stretch over Games 2 and 3, he had zero field goals and a total of six turnovers.
Mike Brown took him out in the third quarter and kept him on the bench most of the second half.
Miles McBride got 31 minutes while Bridges had only 21, and the Knicks were visibly more effective with that smaller lineup. Since Bridges has been having trouble in this matchup, it is difficult to imagine Brown reverting to heavy minutes for him when McBride is giving him more on the floor.
Prediction: Bridges plays under 25 minutes again, and McBride handles the bulk of those extra possessions.
Prediction 3: Karl-Anthony Towns Posts a Double-Double and Stays on the Floor
Towns racked up 21 points and 17 rebounds in Game 3, and he was definitely the best big man on the floor the whole night. The issue is the Knicks finding it difficult to put him to use in the most critical moments; in fact, the final play went to Brunson instead.
As a smaller team, the Hawks and Towns demonstrated in a very clear way what this mismatch would look like when he is aggressive.
Brown should keep Towns on the court for the entire 40 minutes, rather than just in stretches, because with both Towns and Brunson producing, New York is an entirely different team.
If those three things happen, the Knicks could very well win.
Prediction: Towns gets at least 22 points and 11 rebounds, and New York wins 110-102 to tie the series 2-2.
