The Knicks (3-4) lost to the Atlanta Hawks (4-5) on Wednesday night, 121-116, dropping their second straight game to close out a four-game road trip and fall under .500.
Here are the takeaways…
– The Knicks lived and died by the three against the Hawks. They shot 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) from three in a slow and sloppy first quarter (six turnovers), but trailed by only four, 26-22. The second quarter was completely different, as the Knicks made 10 three-pointers to go 14-for-28 from three in the first half — tied for a team record for makes in a half. New York kept up the momentum and outscored Atlanta 28-24 in the third quarter, making another four threes to head into the fourth quarter tied at 89-89.
Karl-Anthony Towns made five threes, but missed a corner shot down one point with under a minute left in the fourth quarter, leading to a Clint Capela fastbreak dunk to go up 114-111. The Hawks closed the game on a 16-6 run and outscored the Knicks 32-27 in the fourth quarter. New York finished the game 22-for-47 from three (46.8 percent).
– Towns led the way for the Knicks with 34 points, including 20 in the first half. He only had two points in the third, but turned in on in the fourth, scoring 12 points to keep the Knicks in the game. The former No. 1 overall pick also had 16 rebounds, three blocks, one assist, and one steal.
– Jalen Brunson had a tough shooting night, going 8-for-18 from the field and 4-for-10 from three for 21 points. Former Villanova teammate Mikal Bridges also struggled shooting, going just 4-for-10 with two threes for 10 points.
– Zaccharie Risacher showed why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, having the best game in his young career. The rookie scored 22 of his 33 points in the first half with six total threes. Jalen Johnson had a near triple-double (23-15-7), Trae Young added 23 of his own, and Capela finished with 18 points and six rebounds. Atlanta shot a worse 45 percent from the field compared to NY, but outrebounded them 48-41 and won the turnover battle by seven.
– Miles McBride scored 16 points with four three-pointers in 28 minutes off the bench. Tyler Kolek scored the rest of the Knicks’ bench points, finishing with six points in nine minutes. He became the first Knick to make his first four three-point attempts, as he knocked down two threes in the second quarter.
Game MVP: Zaccharie Risacher
Risacher finished a +14 on the floor in 37 minutes of action, and did more than just score. The 19-year-old had seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks in the win.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks return home after a four-game road trip to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who are off to a surprising 1-6 start. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
