The New York Knicks lost to the Atlanta Hawks 116-100. Cold shooting and tired legs slow down their gritty comeback attempt.
The New York Knicks lost to the Atlanta Hawks 116-100, failing to step up without Jalen Brunson to lead. The Knicks’ offense generated plenty of open looks, but the team shot poorly, which may be a product of tired legs. Their defense lagged, and they lost the rebound battle, a rare occurrence.
The Hawks dashed out to an early lead and never looked back. The Knicks couldn’t contain Jalen Johnson early and had no one to respond as Donte DiVincenzo struggled the entire game. They trailed 18 points by the end of the first quarter and spent the next two quarters fighting to stage a comeback.
Defense helped New York get back into this game. Miles McBride and Precious Achiuwa stepped up the intensity in the third, while Josh Hart turned stops into transition offense. It was enough to force a tie game, but the Hawks reclaimed the lead shortly after. The comeback sapped the Knicks of energy, as the Hawks ran away with the game in the fourth.
The Knicks missed their star players, and those who’ve stepped up recently showed signs of fatigue. But New York showed resilience despite the poor result. Let’s have a closer look at the action.
The Knicks’ starters go cold from deep
Miles McBride: 11 PTS (4/15 FG, 3/10 3PT), 9 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 46 mins
Miles McBride may have shot poorly, but he did everything else well. Deuce attacked the Hawks’ defense off the dribble, getting into the lane and spraying the ball to shooters. He managed to record nine assists even though most of the shooters were ice cold. McBride could have done with more attempts at the rim, but he managed the highlight of the night on one drive.
McBride saved his best efforts for the third quarter. His defense turned up to eleven, as he forced turnovers by drawing offensive fouls and pressuring ball-handlers into mistakes. Deuce’s defensive play is even more impressive when we factor in that he barely sat and spent the night holding Dejounte Murray to 7/17 shooting. His defense sparked the third quarter by creating opportunities for the Knicks to counter and pick up easy baskets.
McBride’s growth is apparent through his passing and improved ball-handling. His next step is to find consistent ways to score once he gets in the paint. Once that happens, he will be knocking on the door of a major leap. Deuce gets a 3 out of 5 despite his poor efficiency, which was partially due to pressing late.
Donte DiVincenzo: 21 PTS (7/24 FG, 5/17 3PT, 2/2 FT), 6 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 4 TO in 39 mins
Donte DiVincenzo’s legs looked tired. His 17 attempts from deep may seem like a lot, but most of those shots came within the flow of offense. We’ve seen him knock down those looks countless times, but everything came up short in this one. His best moments came on the few occasions he beat defenders off the dribble instead.
I’ll also blame DiVo’s turnovers on fatigue, but they were painful. He didn’t give up the ball due to Atlanta’s great defense. Most of the turnovers came from lazy or off-target passing. It felt like any time the Knicks had a shot at momentum, the Big Ragu missed a shot or threw the ball away.
DiVo was bound to have a few, as he’s had to shoulder so much of the offense lately. He never got going, and I’m positive he’ll welcome the extra night of rest New York gets before playing Orlando. DiVincenzo gets a 1 out of 5 for his worst game in a long time.
Josh Hart: 14 PTS (5/12 FG, 3/7 3PT, 1/2 FT), 6 AST, 8 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 3 TO in 43 mins
Josh Hart looked as fatigued as DiVincenzo early. He didn’t score a point in the first half, and the Hawks frequently beat him to loose balls. If you know Josh Hart, you’ll know how rare it is to see him losing the race for 50/50 balls.
But it was all heart after halftime. In the third, the former Blazer seemed energized by the Knicks’ renewed defensive effort. While McBride was the engine for stops, Hart became the engine for scoring. He flew up the court for transition layups and kicked into gear from three.
Hart played an impressive second half, picking up his listless performance from the first. But when the defense couldn’t get stops in the fourth, he lost efficacy again. But he still had a nice enough performance to warrant a 2.5 out of 5 for his impact.
Precious Achiuwa: 15 PTS (7/8 FG, 1/1 FT), 2 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK in 24 mins
Precious Achiuwa is too strong for Jalen Johnson. Johnson ran roughshod over the Knicks’ defense, and Achiuwa took that personally. Precious came down on offense and attacked Johnson in face-up situations by powering right through him. If the Hawks gave Achiuwa time, he posted up and finished easily over Johnson.
It’s not out of line to compare Precious’s scoring performance to a poor man’s Randle. He didn’t have the jumper or the passing acumen of New York’s All-NBA Forward, but Achiuwa had the strength and finishing to capitalize in the same spaces Randle typically would. If New York needed a bucket or any kind of rim pressure, giving the ball to Achiuwa was their best bet.
That makes Achiuwa’s conspicuous absence in the fourth quarter a head-scratcher. Sure, Precious needed a break, but we’ve seen him log massive minutes without losing intensity. The Knicks could have used Precious’s interior work and defensive play, but Tom Thibodeau stuck with Bojan Bogdanovic until it was too late. Precious gets a 3 out of 5, and it would have been higher with more minutes.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 5 PTS (2/6 FG, 1/2 FT), 2 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK in 20 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein had a chance to put his stamp on the game early. The Hawks blitzed ball-handlers through screens, which freed up Hartenstein on the roll. But Clint Capela denied I-Hart at the rim several times, and then the Knicks’ center missed some bunnies.
This wasn’t the same I-Hart as a couple of days ago. I’m tempted to blame his lingering Achilles pain because the performance reminded me of early last season. He worked hard and did some good things as a passer, rebounder, and roll man. But Hartenstein was a step slow as often as he was successful on all counts.
To be fair, six boards, three stocks, and a couple of assists is nice production in 20 minutes of action. But it wasn’t the Isaiah Hartenstein we’ve come to recognize since Mitchell Robinson got hurt. Our big man gets a 1.5 out of 5 for the rough night.
New York’s second unit gets targeted on defense
Alec Burks: 11 PTS (5/14 FG, 1/7 3PT, 0/1 FT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL in 12 mins
We’ve already seen this kind of performance from Alec Burks too many times. He entered the game, bricked a bunch of open looks, and forced a few more. He managed more field goal attempts than points for the seventh time in his ten games since arriving in New York. This time, he even managed more attempts than minutes.
It only gets worse if you factor in defense. Burks and Bogdanovic are unplayable as a pair. The Hawks played “choose your mismatch” whenever that tandem shared the floor. You could catch Burks providing fake-hustle on Bruno Fernando’s highlight dunk in the first half. That’s the extent of his defensive contributions.
I won’t beat up on Burks anymore. He’s had a brutal time since the trade, and I don’t know if he’ll see much opportunity once players heal up or Shake Milton gets up to speed. Burks gets a 0.5 out of 5 for a nightmare performance.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 19 PTS (6/18 FG, 4/11 3PT, 3/3 FT), 3 REB, 2 TO in 31 mins
You can see the vision for Bojan Bogdanovic, even if it’s in fleeting moments. Bojan’s quick trigger from three means anyone can find him with the slightest bit of space, and there’s a chance to pick up three points. But oddly enough, his shot looked awful when he had time to think, even including an airball.
For as nice as Bojan’s 19 points were while the team struggled with scoring, he gave up just as much on defense. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the Hawks sought him out down the stretch. Dejounte Murray looked for screens until Bojan was switched onto him and capitalized with pull-up jumpers and drives. This has happened repeatedly when Bojan plays in fourth quarters.
Bogdanovic feels like a player that will make more sense when the full team is assembled. There will be better defenders to cover for him, and Julius Randle will produce a ton of open looks. But right now, Bojan’s struggling to make a consistent impact. Bogie gets a 1 out of 5 for his rough defense and poor shooting.
Jericho Sims: 4 PTS (2/2 FG), 1 AST, 9 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 26 mins
Jericho Sims provided effort and hustle, which is enough to stand out amongst the tired and maligned Knicks. He soared for his two baskets and flew for nearly every rebound. On a night the Knicks were outrebounded 51-40, Sims grabbed six offensive boards and drew a few loose ball fouls.
But Sims’ rim protection isn’t as effective as I-Hart’s or Mitch’s. He couldn’t stop the Hawks from driving into the lane for pull-up jumpers at close range. He’s still learning the ropes, so this was far from a great performance.
Sims gets a 2 out of 5, which is fine for a big man off the bench. He did his job.
Tom Thibodeau makes a strange fourth-quarter decision
I doubt anything Tom Thibodeau did could turn this game around. But that doesn’t mean I can’t complain about some choices. He continues to pair Bogdanovic and Burks early in games, which always sets the defense up to fail. But more painfully, he stuck with Bojan in the fourth quarter despite Precious Achiuwa’s gem through three quarters.
Precious had done enough to warrant minutes when the game was on the line. But Thibodeau stuck with shooters and let the defense flounder. The Hawks only scored 22 points in the third quarter, but Precious sat, and Atlanta poured on 33 in the fourth.
Closing Thoughts:
Things are getting scary. New York is a half-game out of play-in territory, and we still don’t know when OG, Randle, or Mitch will return. Isaiah Hartenstein’s Achilles scares me, and Jalen Brunson’s knee contusion needs to heal by Friday when the fourth-seeded Magic play New York.
The Knicks have shown resilience all season, but the results have dwindled. Hard-fought wins have become tough losses, and a half-game from the second seed is suddenly a half-game from single-elimination play. We just have to hope that when the starters return, they find immediate impact and midseason form fast.
The Knicks are a sleeping giant, but if they’re any slower to wake up, this promising season could slip away.
The Magic are next on Friday, and I actually like our chances. I expect Brunson to be back, and the extra rest will give New York fresher legs to work with. It’s time to beat Orlando and get back into the driver’s seat for their destiny. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below! Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. Subscribe to the newsletter for KFTV content and events, shop discounts, and more at bit.ly/kftvmail. And in case you missed it, check out CP The Fanchise talking Knicks with rapper/songwriter Marlon Craft!
