New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Imagesimage captionNew York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Madison Square Garden was buzzing with excitement on Wednesday night as the New York Knicks hosted the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Emirates Cup Quarterfinal. Coming into the night, just 2.5 games separated the two teams in the standings but with a trip to Las Vegas on the line, both squads were fighting with high intensity.
The Knicks and Hawks went back and forth in the first 24 minutes, trading blows until the halftime buzzer with a score of 54-47 in favor of the Knicks. The third quarter is when the game blew open. The Hawks scored 34 points in the period to take a nine-point lead into the final frame and the Knicks were never able to recover. And so, the visiting team won by 8 (108-100) to advance to the NBA Emirates Cup Semifinals in Las Vegas.
De'Andre Hunter off the bench was the leading scorer for the Hawks with 24 points and 1 rebound on 8-15 shooting in 28:42 minutes. Trae Young was second in scoring with 22 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds on 8-22 shooting from the field. Young forward Jalen Johnson contributed 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists on 40% shooting.
For the Knicks, Josh Hart was the top scorer with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists on 66.7% shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 19 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists on 7-15 shooting. In 37:41 minutes Mikal Bridges totaled 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 52.9% shooting.
The Knicks are still fresh off a recent win streak and they were hoping to continue that trajectory tonight. Sadly, it seems that the team fell apart down the stretch and now their chances for an in-season championship are completely gone. More importantly, it revealed some crucial flaws on the team that need to be addressed for them to succeed.
20 Offensive Rebounds For Hawks
The New York Knicks gave up defense and rebounding to add perimeter shooting in the form of Karl-Anthony Towns. While the payoff has been huge in that it has made the Knicks one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, it's also made them vulnerable on the glass and we saw that in full effect tonight.
Between Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, and Jalen Johnson, the Hawks dominated the boards and out-rebounded the Knicks 58-49. Atlanta grabbed a whopping 22 offensive rebounds, providing plenty of second-chance opportunities that put the game out of reach for the Knicks.
Most coaches will agree that team rebounding mostly comes down to effort and the Knicks being out-hustled on the boards at home, like they did tonight, is just not a good look. It also does not reflect well on their chances to make a deep run this season. Simply put, if the Knicks want to put themselves in play for a title, they'll need to bring maximum effort and not allow themselves to get outworked on all the important aspects of the game.
No Help Off The Bench
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is notorious for keeping a tight rotation and that held true tonight with just eight players getting any significant minutes. To Thib's credit, the Knicks don't have much fire-power off the bench anyway and the second-unit let them down again tonight.
Between Miles McBride, Precious Achuiwa, and Cameron Payne, the Knicks bench shot 6-17 from the field and was outscored greatly by the Hawks' bench, who combined to score 43 points. All bench players finished with a negative plus/minus except for Jericho Sims, who played less than two minutes in the contest.
The Knicks were already heavily reliant on their stars but with some of their top scorers struggling and key-role players missing (like Mitchell Robinson), the Knicks just couldn't recover without some kind of threat from the bench to alleviate the pressure.
Jalen Brunson Was M.I.A.
The Knicks are one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, but it's tough for the Knicks to get going when their engine goes 5-15 from the field. With averages of 25.2 points, 7.8 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game on 49.6% shooting, it's been a pretty stellar season for Jalen Brunson but this was far from his best showing.
In 35:31 minutes on the court, Brunson finished with 14 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds on 33.3% shooting. He had 2 turnovers and was an even +0 on the court in 35:31 minutes of action. Besides a few three-pointers, Brunson was a shell of himself offensively and the Knicks need him at his best to have any chance of success.
With just 43.0% shooting and 26.2% shooting from three, the Knicks struggled to get it going and they barely cracked 100 points against one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. The only good news about this performance is that the Knicks are almost sure to play better in their next contest.
After the victory, the Hawks will move on to the NBA Emirates Cup Semifinals which will take place against the Bucks in Las Vegas later this week. If the Hawks win again, they'll get a chance to compete for the in-season championship before getting back into action on Saturday, December 21st, at 7:30 PM EST.
## Trae Young Disrespects Madison Square Garden Again After NBA Cup Win Over Knicks
Read More
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us onGoogle News. We appreciate your support.