Knicks Set to Face Hawks on Christmas Day

The NBA announced its Christmas Day schedule on Tuesday as it features Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks returning to play the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. 

Games on Christmas are nothing more than usual for New York as the team leads the NBA with the most played games on Christmas Day with 53 total. Their record is 22-31 on the holiday with their last matchup being a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018.

For Atlanta, this is the first time since 1989 that the Hawks will play a Christmas Day game. The last time they played on Christmas their starters were Dominique Wilkins, Moses Malone, Spud Webb, Kevin Willis, and John Battle. 

The last time these two teams had met was in the first round of the NBA playoffs in which the Hawks won the series in five games.

 In Game 1, Young had become a public enemy in New York as he proceeded to hit the game-winner and tell the crowd “It’s quiet as f-ck in here” after fans had chanted “f-ck Trae Young” throughout the game. 

With fans and players trash-talking throughout the series, a brewing rivalry was sparked that has now carried over into this upcoming season. Fans should expect nothing short of a heated atmosphere as New York’s newest villain returns. 

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