The Atlanta Hawks might have star guard Trae Young back in the lineup when they try to break a three-game home losing streak against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Young, who is averaging 23.9 points and leads the NBA with 11 assists per game, injured his right rib during the third quarter of Atlanta’s 123-93 loss to Boston on Monday.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder didn’t give an exact timeline for Young’s return after the game, but on Tuesday, the three-time All-Star was listed as probable for Wednesday’s game.
In addition to Young’s injury, Atlanta has been dealing with several other player injuries early in the season. Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) and Vit Krejci (hip) are both out for several weeks, and guard Kobe Bufkin is still sidelined after partially dislocating his shoulder for a second time last month.
If Young can’t play on Wednesday, Dyson Daniels, Garrison Mathews, and rookie Keaton Wallace will handle the ball for the Hawks. Atlanta has struggled recently, losing five of their last six games after starting 2-0.
“We’ve got a lot of guys, they’re competing,” Snyder said. “That’s all that you can ask. Even when games are lopsided like this one, there are things you can take away from it. We’ll try to do that.”
With Young out, more of the scoring responsibility could fall on forward Jalen Johnson, who is averaging 18.4 points per game.
Johnson had some early struggles after signing a five-year, $150 million contract last month but has bounced back with four games of 20-plus points in the last five games, also posting double-digit rebounds three times during that stretch.
The Knicks, who are finishing a four-game road trip, have won the last three games in Atlanta. This will be the first of four meetings between the teams this season.
New York won the first two games of their trip but lost 109-97 to the Houston Rockets on Monday. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 29 points and eight assists, but with little help from the rest of the team, he played 42 minutes and was visibly tired by the end. He missed three straight shots in the final 2:16, when the Knicks had cut the lead to just three points.
“He wanted to go,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s in great shape. You’re not going to make every shot. So, take your shots.”
Brunson leads the Knicks with 26.0 points and 6.0 assists per game. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 21.3 points and a team-best 12.5 rebounds per game.
This game will mark the first time Towns faces the Hawks in a Knicks uniform. In 15 career games against Atlanta, Towns is averaging 23.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. He was traded to New York from Minnesota on October 2.
New York might also have guard Cameron Payne available after he missed Monday’s game due to a strained left hamstring. Payne is averaging 5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in five games this season.
Meanwhile, the Hawks could also get De’Andre Hunter back after he missed the last six games with a right knee injury. Hunter, who has 36 points and 13 rebounds in just two games this season, was listed as questionable on Tuesday’s injury report.
