The New York Knicks will not be heading to Las Vegas to continue competing for the NBA Cup, as the Atlanta Hawks eliminated them with a 108-100 score on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Hawks were led by forward De’Andre Hunter with 24 points and guard Trae Young, who put up 22 points and 11 assists in the statement win against a team he has had a lot of history with. Here are a few takeaways from the loss.
Third quarter of doom
Prior to the third quarter, the Hawks had never led in the game, rather the Knicks had more control and even had a 12-point lead in the first half. But once the second half began, the Hawks showed more energy than the Knicks and ended up outscoring them 34 points to just 18 in the third quarter.
The Knicks were still leading 66-62 late in the quarter, but Young scored eight consecutive points, followed by a three-pointer from Hunter to create an 11-0 run. Meanwhile, the Knicks were struggling, specifically from the three-point line, where they had missed 10 attempts behind the arc in the third quarter. Overall, their three-point shooting was very poor as they shot a total of 11-of-42 from behind the three-point line, which is just 26.2%.
Defensive issues revealed once again
As previously mentioned, the Knicks collapsed in the second half of the game, and this is where their defensive struggles once again occurred. Despite Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns grabbing a season-high 19 rebounds, New York still got outrebounded 58-49 by the Hawks. The Knicks’s inability to rebound late in the fourth quarter ruined their chances of completing a full comeback. New York continuously let the Hawks have multiple opportunities in their offensive possessions, as the Hawks ended up with an impressive total of 22 offensive rebounds. Atlanta feasted in the paint, capturing 66 of their 108 points around the rim. This is a game where the Knicks desperately missed center Mitchell Robinson, who, when healthy, has been an elite rebounder for the team and rim protector as he has averaged 1.9 blocks per game on his career so far. Towns is not on the same defensive level that Robinson has been at center for New York. Robinson is still out rehabbing after getting two ankle procedures and isn’t expected to make a return until late January (via Shams Charania).
Jalen Brunson had an off night
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has been leading the team, averaging the most points this season, but he had an off-night against Atlanta. Brunson only put up 14 points (5-of-15 FG), including 0 points in that third quarter of doom mentioned earlier.
The guard didn’t look like himself tonight, and he usually gets to his spots with ease while also drawing contact. Brunson only sank two free throws, which is below average for him, as he has been hitting 5.2 free throws per game this season (via NBA.com).
It especially hurts this team when Brunson or any starter has an off shooting night because of how reliant this offense is on the startling lineup. It was pointed out by NBA reporter Tommy Beer a few days ago that the Knicks starting 5 have the highest scoring average in league history with 97.5 per game. Therefore, if one of the starters, such as Brunson tonight, has a poor scoring game, it hurts the team offensively, and the bench most likely can’t make up for it.
