The Knicks were hoping to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t meant to be.
The Atlanta Hawks are going to Vegas thanks to a second half surge that saw them outscore the Knicks 61-46, enroute to a 108-100 win at Madison Square Garden in an NBA Cup quarterfinal game last night.
Thanks to the loss, the Knicks will fill out their schedule by playing the Magic in Orlando on Sunday night.
Trae Young led the way with 22 points and 11 assists, Jalen Johnson scored 21 pts with 15 rebounds and seven assists while De’Andre Hunter had 24 points off the bench.
Karl-Anthony Towns lit up the scoresheet with 19 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks but he was in foul trouble and when he went to the bench, the Hawks took full advantage.
Josh Hart had 21 points with 8 rebounds and 6 assists but the Hawks gave Jalen Brunson no room to operate as he had one of his poorer games with 14 points on 5 of 15 from the floor.
Effort was not a problem as the Knicks played very hard in what was a physcial contest but they lost this game on the boards and the three point line.
Atlanta came in as the worst team in the NBA defending the three point shot but the Knicks shot 26% (11 for 42) from beyond the arc. The Knicks missed 13 straight three pointers spanning the third and fourth quarters.
Mikal Bridges (1 for 5), O.G. Anunoby (1 for 9), Cameron Payne (1 for 4) and Miles McBride (1 for 6) were a combined 4 for 24 from three for the Knicks who came in averaging 40% from beyond the arc.
The Hawks, who are long and are fifth in the NBA in rebounding, grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Knicks 58-49. Despite the inflated number on the offensive boards, Atlanta scored only 14 second chance points but that dominance limited the number of possessions for the Knicks who gave up 66 points in the paint.
“They’re a very good offensive rebounding team, you know that going in,” Coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I think we were plus two at the half then the third quarter was a problem. They erased the deficit they had and that went quickly and then our energy dipped, and it can’t dip. Missed shots are part of the game, you just got to keep fighting. You can win with your defense, your rebounding. We had a couple of turnovers were a problem as well.”
Atlanta is big and athletic and have proven to be a difficult match up for the Knicks, particularly when Towns had to leave the game due to foul trouble.
The Hawks started slow as they missed their first eight shots and the Knicks took a 23-14 lead with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. Atlanta finished the quarter strong and trailed only 28-22 after one.
The Knicks seemed to take control in the second quarter. An Anunoby dunk with under six minutes left gave the Knicks a 45-34 lead but thanks to their rebounding, the Hawks hung in and trailed 54-47 at the half.
The third quarter was where things went south for the Knicks.
2:30 into the third, The Knicks were leading 62-52 when Hart drove for a lay up that he missed but a foul was called on the shot. The Hawks challenged the call and it was overturned. That seemed to give Atlanta a lift as they went on an 8-0 run to get within two, 62-60.
The Knicks led 66-62, but Young hit consecutive threes to give the Hawks their first lead, 68-66 and they never trailed after that.
Thanks to a 25-6 run, the Hawks outscored the Knicks in the third quarter, 34-18 to take an 81-72 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
“When it got to be ten in the third, we missed some threes and then we started giving them a second and third shot. That was a problem,” said Thibodeau.
The Knicks could get no closer than six in the final 12 minutes as the Hawks continued to dominate the boards and were able to answer any effort to cut into the lead. There was one sequence where the Hawks grabbed four consecutive offensive rebounds and did not score but the Knicks could not capitalize at the other end.
“You make ‘em miss, you got to put your body on someone,” Thibodeau said.
Late in the fourth, Hunter’s alley oop dunk gave the Hawks their largest lead, 103-89.
The lack of depth from the bench continues to be a problem. The Hawks bench outscored the Knicks bench, 43-14.
Adding to the problem is McBride, who appeared to reinjure his knee early in the fourth quarter following a scramble for a loose ball. McBride limped off the court after a rough night where he shot 2 for 8 and finished with five points.