The Knicks were eliminated from the NBA Cup as they were defeated by the Atlanta Hawks 108-100 in their Quarterfinals matchup on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Here are some takeaways…
– Playing in front of a rocking MSG crowd, the Knicks were able to get out to an early lead, as the Hawks started a brutal 1-for-9 from the field. Mikal Bridges has been phenomenal at home this season, and he had the scorers’ touch going early, leading the way for New York with nine first-quarter points.
– Atlanta was able to cut the lead back down to three, but the Knicks were doing a good job of limiting Trae Young‘s playmaking abilities to stay in front. Young came into the night averaging a league-best 12.2 assists per game, but he had just two and 10 points heading into the halftime break.
– Karl-Anthony Towns was dominating on both ends of the floor, putting together a double-double in just the first half, to go along with three steals and three blocks. The big man got the Garden crowd going late in the second as he flexed at De’Andre Hunter after his massive block sent the small forward falling into the front row.
– But just when it looked like the Knicks were cruising, the Hawks came screaming right back, led by none other than Young. The Knick-villain scored 12 points in the third quarter, including a stretch of eight straight, to help give Atlanta their first lead of the game and they only built on it from there.
– New York’s offense simply had no answer for Atlanta’s halftime adjustments on the defensive end, as they were outscored a whopping 34-18 and shot 8-of-26 from the field in the third quarter, which resulted in them trailing by nine heading into the final frame.
– The Knicks missed 13 consecutive three-pointers before Josh Hart and Cameron Payne knocked two down back-to-back just a couple of minutes into the fourth. New York continued to chip away at the lead, but Atlanta’s suddenly surging offense ultimately proved to be too much — outscoring them 61-46 in the second half.
– Even with his quiet first half, Young finished with 22 points on 8-of-22 shooting from the field and 11 assists. Jalen Johnson put together a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double, Clint Capela reeled in 13 rebounds of his own, and Hunter stepped up with 24 points off the bench.
– Towns was held in check after his monster first half, as he was in foul trouble, and ultimately fouled out late in the fourth. Jalen Brunson was unable to get anything going against Atlanta’s pesky defense, finishing with just 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field.
– The Knicks went 4-1 in NBA Cup play, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. The Hawks will now head to Las Vegas on a date still TBD for a meeting with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who pulled out a win over the shorthanded Orlando Magic in their quarterfinal matchup.
Game MVP: Trae Young
The former fifth-overall pick loves playing at MSG and his second-half surge helped Atlanta pull out the victory.
Highlights
Upcoming schedule
Towns makes his return to Minnesota when the Knicks take on the Timberwolves on Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
