Tonight at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks (15-10) hosted the Atlanta Hawks (14-12) in Quarterfinal of the NBA Emirates Cup. Felt like a playoff game. The first half saw both the Hawks and Knicks brick a bunch, with New York maintaining a slim lead behind Karl-Anthony Towns’ massive performance. They had allowed just 3-of-16 Hawks three-pointers and neutralizing F. Trae Young to take a 54-47 lead. The game unraveled in the second half. The Knicks scored just 18 in the third quarter, lost a 10-point advantage, and allowed Atlanta to go on a 27-8 run. Final score, 108-100.
Quoth Major Kong: “Improve the D or we go nowhere.” Agreed. Surrendering 22 offensive rebounds is generally a bad idea. Overall, New York lost the glass 58-49, shot 11-of-42 from deep, committed 15 turnovers, and missed six free throws. The stats hurt the eyes if you stare too long.
Foul trouble plagued Karl-Anthony Towns, who fouled out with a 19-point, 19-rebound double-double, plus five assists, three blocks, and three steals on 7-of-15 shooting. Josh Hart scored 21 points, eight boards, and six dimes, making 8-of-12 from the floor.
Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels appears to be about two feet taller than Jalen Brunson and played like it. Ignoring all the times he hacked Brunson without being called, the long-armed Aussie limited Jalen to 14 points and eight assists on 5-of-15 shooting. To his credit, Cap committed just two turnovers—but our man had a rough night, indeed.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges took 17 shots apiece, combining for 32 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Not bad. What was: a combined 2-of-14 from beyond the arc, and Mikal’s -16 plus-minus.
Atlanta heads to Vegas to face the Bucks. De’Andre Hunter scored 24 off the bench to top their scoresheet, and they had four players with double-doubles: F. Trae (22 points, 11 assists), Jalen Johnson (21 points, 15 boards), Clint Capela (11 points, 13 rebounds), and Onyeka Okongwu (12 points, 11 rebounds). Tough bunch of long-limbed Gumbys.
New York was whistled for 14 fouls, Atlanta for 13. Don’t believe the hype—or those numbers.
First Half
The Hawks fumbled and stumbled out of the gate, missing their first eight shots. The Knicks weren’t much more accurate, starting 3-of-9. Despite the shots not falling, New York built a 11-2 lead early.
After their initial cold spell, the Hawks found their rhythm, converting 6-of-7 shots, all from inside the paint. The Knicks tightened their defense, and when Miles McBride sank a three-pointer, New York’s lead reached 12—their largest of the game. They closed the quarter ahead 28-22, thanks to the Hawks’ poor shooting from deep (1-of-7) and overall (9-of-28).
Atlanta kept the game close through the first half, aided by New York’s nine turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns showed off his two-way prowess with a block at one end and a dunk at the other. The Hawks kept pecking, though, trailing by just three points midway through the second quarter.
Josh Hart, playing despite a sprained ankle, sparked a timely run with five unanswered points. Jalen Brunson then added a three-pointer, and OG Anunoby contributed a steal and score. The Knicks were effectively neutralizing F. Trae Young, forcing him into three first-half turnovers and limiting him to two assists and 10 points through two quarters.
Towns was Superman unbound in the first half, recording a spectacular stat line: 10 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and three steals. Before halftime. The Knicks’ success was dampened by their free-throw struggles, having made just 6 of 12 attempts.
That passing though. Chef’s kiss:
Both teams struggled beyond the arc: Atlanta made only three of 16 three-pointers, while New York hit 6 of 20. Clint Capela was notable for Atlanta with eight defensive rebounds and a perfect 3-of-3 shooting, while Knick Josh Hart score 12 points—not too shabby for a bum ankle.
Second Half
That defensive dynamo from down under, Dyson Daniels, made Jalen Brunson sweat all night. Through three frames, Jalen had managed just 3-of-11 shooting and four assists. The rest of the Knicks didn’t perform much better following intermission. After building a 10-point lead early in the quarter, our heroes lost the plot and let Atlanta go on a 27-8 run and fell behind by as many as 11. Four more turnovers didn’t help. When the buzzer sounded on the quarter, New York was in an 81-72 hole.
To start the fourth quarter, the Knicks were in serious disarray. KAT got clobbered on a drive (and so did Brunson), and the ref swallowed the whistle only to blow it on Towns for the fifth time at the other end. The Knicks needed a hero, and Josh Hart tried to answer the call, cleaning the glass in traffic and getting New York some second-chance opportunities. All for naught, ‘twas. The teams had scored 10 apiece, and the Knicks hadn’t gained any ground a third of the way into Q4.
A New York trip to Vegas looked increasingly unlikely. Even when Josh made a three-pointer, Dyson Daniels, a gawdawful shooter, swished a straight-on bomb from deep. F. Trae had a much easier time distributing the ball, dishing eight dimes in the second half. The Hawks were winning the battle for the boards by seven late in the quarter. The zebras didn’t help. When the final buzzer sounded, New York had been vanquished 108-100.
In a very physical game with bodies flying all over the place, but New York had only 15 free throw attempts. Oh, I see. Ben Taylor was on the officiating crew. That checks out.
Up Next
The Knicks trave to Orlando to face the Magic on Sunday. Some consolation prize. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
Box Score