Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder emphasized the impact of rebounding on Saturday’s narrow 128-125 loss to the New York Knicks. “The thing that hurt us tonight was more than anything in that possession game…was the offensive glass,” Snyder said, citing Mohamed Diawara and Kevin McCullar Jr.’s early contributions.
Snyder acknowledged the matchup disadvantage inside. “They have Robinson leads the league in offensive rebounding…they’ve got two seven-footers. We’re at a disadvantage from a size standpoint,” he explained, noting that the Hawks fought but could not match New York’s control of the boards.
On the team’s competitive effort, Snyder added, “I just thought our whole team just competed. And, you know, I wish we had a different result, but I’ll take that…just playing hard and playing together. Asa [Asa Newell] was a big part of that.”
The coach highlighted individual performances in the midst of the loss. “Obviously, Onyeka had a big day shooting the ball. And Jalen really put his stamp on the game with some of the things he did both attacking the rim and then finding other people,” Snyder said, praising Okongwu and Jalen Johnson for their contributions despite the outcome.
Snyder reflected on the Hawks’ effort to regain momentum late in the game. “We hung in there and kept defending and kept running and kept taking shots…that one stretch in the third quarter was impactful when we got back into the game,” he said.
Turnovers and missed second-chance opportunities remained a recurring issue. “Whether it was Robinson or McCullar…they got a few in the first half that I thought really were impactful. That’s not to say we didn’t fight,” Snyder said, emphasizing the Hawks’ persistence despite New York’s dominance on the offensive glass, which totaled 19 second-chance points for the Knicks.
Snyder also addressed the challenges facing his younger players. “He’s another guy…you’ve got a 19-year-old rookie out there just mixing it up with KAT and Robinson and others. I thought he competed,” Snyder said of Asa Newell, noting the importance of development even in difficult games.
Despite the narrow defeat, Snyder expressed confidence in the team’s approach. “The things that our team did tonight are the things we need to do to be successful. Although, you know, it didn’t happen tonight,” he said, signaling that effort and execution remain priorities.
Atlanta, now 15-18, dropped its sixth straight game and completed a 0-5 homestand, while New York improved to 22-9 behind Karl-Anthony Towns’ 36 points and 16 rebounds and Jalen Brunson’s 34-point performance.
