Knicks 119, Hawks 110: "If we had 5 Josh Harts we'd win it all."

01/20/2025 05:52 PM

Trae Young hits 6-of-12 from deep, but Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges combine for 60 points to defeather the Birds.

The New York Knicks (28-16) had already lost twice to the Atlanta Hawks (22-20) this season. In their December matchup, F. Trae Young pretended to roll dice on the Knicks logo at the end of the game. Today, in an MLK Day matinee with playoff intensity, New York dished 31 assists, Jalen Brunson logged his 15th 30+ game, and our heroes overcame 27 points from Young to win the day, 119-110.

No dice today, pal!

First Half

Atlanta's skipper Quin Snyder altered his starting line-up, pegging Onyeka Okongwu at center rather than Clint Capela. The switch paid dividends early as the Birds took a 10-point lead by mid-quarter. Although a mediocre-shooting team, they swished their first three triples and made 9-of-15 in the half, or 60%—excellent prodution for a team that averages 35% per game.

After falling behind by double-digits, New York's defense tightened. Mikal Bridges garnered cheers from the crowd, suffocating F. Trae Young into a shot clock turnover. Still, our heroes could not improve the scoreboard. That didn't occur until late in the period, when the bench mob revived the pallid corpse they inherited. With Karl-Anthony Towns anchoring a crew of Cameron Payne, Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet, and Precious Achiuwa, the home team mounted a spunky 8-3 run. After trailing throughout the quarter, they were down by one at the buzzer.

Starting the second frame, Deuce (nine total points, 1-of-5 3P) swished a trey for New York's first advantage. From there, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau gradually returned all his starters but Hart, opting to leave in Payne instead. That paid dividends, too, with Payne dishing and swishing and helping New York a six-point lead.

Cam would finish with 10 points, two assists, and two steals. He might be reckless at times, but this kind of energy is always welcome.

Coincidentally, after Josh Hart replaced Payne, New York lost their lead. A 14-point turnaround gave the Hawks an eight-point lead, featuring F. Trae Young's sharp shooting and Okongwu's bucket at the buzzer. Halftime score: Hawks, 62-54.

Through two quarters, the Knicks played their toughest defense in a dog's age, forcing Atlanta into 14 first-half turnovers—although, they didn't fare much better, coughing up the rock 10 times.

Funky officiating today. New York attempted four first-half free throws compared to Atlanta's 17. F. Trae led the Hawks with 18 first-half points, making 5-of-6 from deep. His crew had won the glass 21-17, but New York outscored in the paint 30-22. For the latter, Brunson scored 19 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting, 3-of-4 from deep . . . but was a -18. All the starters were net negatives, while Payne, with six points, two assists, and two steals, was a team-high +12 in his eight minutes.

Second Half

New York rocketed from the locker room with a 14-4 stretch to start the second half. Bridges flashed a hot hand, on which the team capitalized. Mikal's statline today: 26 points, four assists, 12-of-17 from the field, 1-of-2 from deep in his 27 minutes.

Their momentum was hard to sustain, however, with De'Andre Hunter and F. Trae dropping buckets—but Josh Hart grabbed the rope when it started to slip, scoring and chasing down loose balls with his typical verve. Quoth HarbingerNo9: "If we had 5 Josh Harts we'd win it all." That's a lot of Mike & Ike's. Josh finished the day with 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in 37 minutes. This sequence sums hims up to a T:

New York would win the quarter 40-27. When Jalen Brunson chipped in his third triple with under two minutes remaining in Q3, they attained an eight-point lead, their largest so far. A Dyson Daniels steal, and two unanswered Atlanta buckets reduced the score to 94-89 by the quarter's curtain.

Five unanswered points by Hunter tied the game to start the final frame. Thibs had a response, though—more Payne. Cam's four-point play, a defensive charge drawn by Jalen Brunson, and sweet Karl-Anthony Towns' passing helped the home team climb ahead by ten by the six minute mark. Towns scored 13 ponts, nine boards, and seven assists in 38 minutes today—with an aching thumb, no less.

OG Anunoby played feisty defense today, and grabbed eight rebounds, but attempted just four shots in his 40 minutes. He looked wiped out by the end. Have to wonder what he'll have in the tank for tomorrow' tilt with Brooklyn.

Brunson made a point of attacking Dyson "The Great Barrier Thief" Daniels all afternoon, and the Australian fouled in crunch time, with his team trying to mount a comeback. Already short-handed, the Hawks didn't have enough left to steal the win.

Up Next

The Knicks stop by the Barclays tomorrow to test the Nets. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score