The Knicks wrapped up the primary portion of their season on a excessive — but exhausting — word, outlasting the conference-rival Atlanta Hawks in additional time, 149-148, at Madison Sq. Backyard.
Listed here are the takeaways…
— Whereas the Knicks thought-about OG Anunoby (foot sprain) a game-time resolution hours earlier than tip-off, the veteran winger was in the end dominated out of the lineup for a fifth consecutive contest. His absence was predictable, contemplating the crew will not play once more till Feb. 20. So, the All-Star break comes at a handy time for Anunoby.
— It did not take lengthy for previous tensions to flare between the groups, as Josh Hart and Mouhamed Gueye grappled over a rebound close to the Knicks’ basket. The transient tussle for the ball led to a bigger scrum on the baseline, however no fouls have been known as and New York claimed possession.
— Halfway by way of the primary quarter, the Knicks acquired equal contributions from their lineup… actually. The 5 starters had 4 factors apiece on the 6:02 mark. However it did not take lengthy for Jalen Brunson to search out his groove. He erased Tuesday’s poor eight-point efficiency with a pointy 16 factors on 6-of-7 capturing with 5 assists. New York led by as a lot as 10 within the quarter.
— Coming off a stellar 40-point exhibiting in opposition to the Pacers on Tuesday, Karl-Anthony Cities picked up his cheat-code scoring tempo within the second quarter. He discovered success within the paint and past the arc, and by the 4:05 mark, he had 24 factors and the Knicks led by 17. It was Cities’ 14th half this season with 20-plus factors.
— The Backyard’s villain was something however formidable within the first half, as Hawks star Trae Younger scored a measly seven factors on 2-of-11 capturing. Coming into Wednesday, he had averaged 24 factors in three video games in opposition to the Knicks this season. However his teammates managed to select up the slack, as Atlanta closed the second quarter on a 12-2 run, trailing by solely eight.
— Whereas the Hawks opened the third quarter with back-to-back buckets, the Knicks shortly responded with extra red-hot capturing from Cities. He scored 12 straight Knicks factors, bumping his sport complete to 36 on the 8:13 mark. However the Hawks did not relent — they reduce their deficit to 5 with a gradual 17-7 run, forcing a Knicks timeout with 3:41 left within the third.
— Atlanta’s depth largely contributed to its resiliency. Via three quarters, they outscored New York in bench factors by a staggering 35-4 margin, and with 41 third-quarter factors, they trailed by solely three (104-101). Younger additionally picked up the tempo, bumping his level complete to 18 by way of 36 minutes of play.
— The Knicks regained management early within the fourth quarter, scoring the primary 9 factors to push their lead again into double-digits. However the Hawks continued to claw again, and with a 3 from Younger on the 3:48 mark, they trailed by simply two. Fortunately for New York, its captain got here up clutch, as Brunson drained two buckets for 5 factors to push the lead again to 4, 133-129, with 1:08 left.
— The drama did not finish following Brunson’s act, although. Regardless of main by six with 18 seconds left, the Knicks stunningly allowed 5 straight factors to the Hawks that silenced the group. With the rating tied and a couple of.9 seconds on the clock, the Knicks superior the ball to midcourt with a timeout, however Brunson’s try at a game-winning shot went extensive. One way or the other, Atlanta pressured additional time.
— Younger gave the Hawks their first lead of the sport with a working layup at first of additional time, and moments later, Caris LeVert added a 3 to push Atlanta’s run to 11-0. However one other 4 factors from Brunson helped the Knicks reclaim the lead on the 3:20 mark, and a dunk from Valuable Achuiwa with 1:25 left pushed their benefit again to a few.
— With 11 seconds left in additional time, Brunson performed the function of hero by draining the game-winning jumper on the high of the important thing. However the struggle wasn’t over — the Knicks nonetheless allowed two Hawks pictures within the remaining seconds that fortuitously did not land. The 297 mixed factors made it the highest-scoring sport of the NBA season.
— All 5 Knicks starters posted double-digit factors, and it was Achiuwa who impressed by scoring a season-high 26 factors with eight rebounds instead of Anunoby. Hart additionally recorded a strong double-double of 18 factors and 10 boards, whereas Brunson delivered an impactful 36 factors with eight assists.
— Deuce McBride, who scored 15 factors on Tuesday and entered Wednesday as questionable with a rib damage, performed solely eight minutes in opposition to the Hawks and was dominated out late within the third quarter. The Backyard’s villain in Younger additionally recovered from a tough first half by ending with 38 factors and 19 assists in a relentless 44 minutes.
Recreation MVP: Karl-Anthony Cities
For a second consecutive sport, Cities did not look in the slightest degree hampered by his injured thumb. He produced back-to-back 40-point video games (40, 44) for the primary time in his profession, and it was additionally his fifteenth sport with 30-plus factors this season. He’ll be fortunately touring to San Francisco for All-Star festivities this weekend.
Highlights
Up subsequent
The Knicks (36-18) enter the All-Star break because the Japanese Convention’s three-seed, they usually’ll start the second portion of their common season subsequent Thursday, Feb. 20, in opposition to the Chicago Bulls (7:30 tip).
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