NYK 108, ATL 105: NYK's Towns-Brunson Tandem Delivers
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Knicks Steal One in Atlanta, But NAW's Explosion Is the Real Fantasy Story
Let me be real with you: the Knicks won this 108-105 absolute grind, but if you're sitting here looking at the box score trying to figure out what happened, the answer is Nickeil Alexander-Walker happened. NAW went absolutely nuclear for 36 points on 12-19 shooting (7 threes, 5-5 from the line) in 39 minutes. That's not a normal Tuesday night performance. That's a breakout you need to pay attention to.
Here's the top performers table:
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Brunson | 58.0 | 56.1 | 30/3/13 | 26.0/3.4/6.8 | +4.0 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 59.0 | 50.4 | 21/12/6 | 20.1/11.9/3.0 | +0.9 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 56.0 | 43.9 | 36/2/3 | 20.8/3.5/3.7 | +15.2 |
| Jalen Johnson | 36.0 | 39.7 | 21/11/5 | 22.7/10.3/8.0 | -1.7 |
| CJ McCollum | 42.0 | 39.6 | 17/3/6 | 18.7/3.3/3.9 | -1.7 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 44.0 | 38.9 | 8/12/1 | 5.6/8.8/0.9 | +2.4 |
| Dyson Daniels | 31.0 | 34.9 | 11/12/3 | 11.8/6.8/5.8 | -0.8 |
| Mikal Bridges | 36.0 | 33.0 | 15/5/2 | 14.7/3.9/3.7 | +0.3 |
| OG Anunoby | 35.0 | 32.5 | 22/5/1 | 17.0/5.3/2.2 | +5.0 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 19.0 | 24.1 | 12/8/1 | 15.3/7.7/3.2 | -3.3 |
The NAW Situation (And Why You Should Care)
Look at that +15.2 vs his season average. That's not noise. NAW came in averaging 20.8 PPG but had been pretty quiet on efficiency lately. Tonight he went into a completely different zone, hitting 37% of his threes on volume (7 attempts). For a team that's been searching for secondary scoring punch behind Jalen Brunson, this matters.
Here's the thing though: is this sustainable? Not really. NAW had a career night shooting-wise, and the Hawks defense left him open at times they wouldn't have if they'd played sharper. But what IS worth noting is that he's available in a lot of leagues still, and if this is a sign that he's getting comfortable in Atlanta's system, you want him on your roster before someone else figures it out.
Brunson Does Brunson Things
Jalen Brunson put up 30/3/13 with 2 steals and only 2 turnovers in 39 minutes. That's an All-NBA Second Team guy reminding everyone why he earned it. The 13 assists were right in line with his season avg (6.8), so this wasn't an outlier game for him. He just controlled the entire second half when it mattered.
On ESPN scoring he's worth 58 points, but Yahoo has him at 56.1 because assists aren't weighted as heavily. Either way, he's money. There's nothing to analyze here except "yes, keep starting your All-NBA point guard." Next.
KAT Had to Work for It
Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 21/12/6 on 9-12 shooting, which looks amazing until you realize he was 9-12. That's elite efficiency, but here's the problem: he only played 31 minutes. For a Knicks team that needs depth scoring, that's fine for one night. For your fantasy team relying on him for 35+ minutes every game, this is a reminder that he's still coming back to full conditioning. The good news is the 12 boards are legit and his shot looks pure. Keep riding him, but don't panic if he's rested or limited down the stretch.
The Hawks Fought (But Lost the Conditioning Game)
This is where it gets interesting from a fantasy lens. Dyson Daniels pulled down 12 boards and had 2 steals, which is his role filling perfectly, but he only scored 11 points on 4-11 shooting. He's All-Defensive this year and he's doing his job defensively (2 steals), but offensively he's not consistent enough to be more than a glue guy play. Most Improved Player Dyson is what you're paying for here, and you got that.
Jalen Johnson had the night you want to see from him: 21/11/5 in 40 minutes. He's this team's third offensive weapon, and when the Hawks need buckets, he's stepping up. But here's the thing I noticed as a coach looking at the tape: he's taking tough shots and they're falling sometimes. That's not a sustainable 45% usage type of situation. Keep riding him because the Hawks need him, but this +0.7 rebound night vs his 10.3 average tells you he was pressing a little.
CJ McCollum put up 17/3/6 with 2 steals and 2 blocks in 34 minutes. That's the glue guy role we know. Solid night, nothing explosive, nothing terrible. This is what fantasy managers mean when they say a player is "consistent but not a ceiling game winner."
The Bench Guys That Saved the Night
Mitchell Robinson came off the bench and absolutely destroyed the glass with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 19 minutes. That's +3.2 rebounds vs his season average. For a team that has rebounding problems, Robinson's presence is instant impact. He's 38.9 Yahoo points in 19 minutes. That's a PPM (points per minute) rate that's elite. If the Knicks can get him more minutes as he heals up, he's going to be a top-20 fantasy player.
The Takeaway
The Knicks grind out wins with Brunson playing 39 minutes and getting buckets. The Hawks fight but couldn't quite execute down the stretch. OG Anunoby went for 22/5 with 4 threes on 7-14 shooting for New York, which is a solid All-Star level night. But the real story is NAW's explosion and whether it signals something changing in Atlanta's offense.
For your waiver wire: NAW is worth a speculative add in 12-team leagues if he's still there. For your trade market: don't sell KAT on one good game, and don't get excited about Daniels as a primary ball handler. The Knicks won because Brunson was Brunson and Robinson showed up on the glass.
That's the real fantasy story here.