What worked, what didn’t in Hawks opening playoff game against Knicks

The Hawks will have to make some adjustments when they take on the Knicks for Game 2 on Monday night.

They tried different strategies throughout 48 minutes of play on Saturday that worked and saw some that did not. Now they’ll try to get back to their style of play to even the series.

What worked

- The Hawks got a big game from Onyeka Okongwu, especially on the offensive end. Okongwu did a solid job of limiting Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns early. The 6-9 center helped to hold Towns to six points in the first half, allowing just one made field goal on six attempts.

But Okongwu really shined on the offensive end, with his ability to hit timely 3s, including a walk-off triple at the end of the first half. Okongwu also knocked down a 3 that kicked off a late 11-0 run from the Hawks to try to get back in the game.

Okongwu finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.

“I think it was just really physical on both ends of the floor, which helped us set good screens,” Hawks guard Dyson Daniels said. “But O is one of those guys that, like, he can have a good game, and stuff might not show on the stat sheet. But he’s putting in the work. He’s switching. He’s staying in front of the ball. He’s contesting shots. So he was really good for us.”

- When it wasn’t Okongwu guarding Towns or battling Knicks backup center Mitchell Robinson, the Hawks turned to big Mo Gueye. The Hawks deployed Gueye for the team’s backup minutes at center, with Jock Landale still sidelined.

Despite Gueye giving up some size to Towns and Robinson, he held his own. There were moments when Towns looked to post up Gueye down low and the third-year big didn’t give up much room.

The Hawks could only play Gueye in bursts, but the 23-year-old could play some bigger minutes with Okongwu questionable for Monday’s game with right knee inflammation.

- When the Hawks attacked the basket, they typically saw the results they wanted. The Hawks saw it early when CJ McCollum’s mentality to score and keep pace with the Knicks.

The Hawks also saw good results from Okongwu putting his head down. Okongwu didn’t back down from the Knicks’ centers, even bumping Towns off his spot to put up a hook shot.

“It’s a make-or-miss league,” McCollum told reporters after the game. “When they go down, everything is great and you’re flowing and when you miss them, it can kind of snowball and create runs. So, just about knocking down shots.”

What didn’t work

- The Hawks are not an isolation-heavy team. That’s not to say that they don’t have players that can go out and get buckets, but the Hawks’ greatest strengths are running and playing the pass.

“I think when we do run, some of it is really trying to get to the rim,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “And we can’t get to the rim to get out and get more 3s.”

On Saturday, the Hawks did not play to their strengths. Instead, the Hawks fell into isolation possessions, where the ball stuck to one side of the court.

It allowed Towns or Mitchell to read the drive to the basket and gave them time to get up and block the shot. The Hawks’ iso possessions also gave the Knicks time to rotate into the paint and into a crowd, where the Hawks turned over the ball.

- The Hawks limited their rotation but it didn’t mean they opted out of trying combinations. Early in the second quarter, the Hawks used a lineup of Gueye, Gabe Vincent, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Zaccharie Risacher and Jonathan Kuminga.