After a satisfying win over the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden earlier this week, the Knicks followed up with a second straight win against a Top 4 Eastern Conference team (113-89).
Faced with uninspired and interested Hawks (38% on shots including 17% from behind the arc, 11 loss of ball for 16 assists), the teammates of a Julius Randle sharp who signs the best game of his season (34 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists), still at home, have indeed shown great mastery throughout the 48 minutes to afford a wide success (45% on shots including 47% from 3-pointers, 26 assists on 37 shots), important for morale and confidence, and which brings them closer to a balance sheet.
At the same time, Tom Thibodeau’s men took their revenge, since the Hawks had won during the first confrontation between the two teams, at the beginning of November, already in New York (99-112).
Hawks side, difficult to know what to remember as the match was missed in many aspects. The obsession with outside shooting despite a success that remained in the locker room is of course obvious (6/36), as is the inability of Nate McMilan’s men to offer a clean game in attack (16 assists in 32 baskets, by 11 losses ball).
In short, a game to quickly forget for the Atlanta club, which lost for the second time in a row and lost, at the same time, its 4th place in the Eastern Conference in favor of the Nets, their next opponent…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Julius Randle’s Score. Even if his stratospheric level of play for the 2020/21 season seems a long way off, the strong winger remains essential to the success of the Knicks. When Randle goes, his team goes too, quite often. Against Atlanta, it was therefore a “vintage” Julius Randle that we could observe. Sharp and quick in its choices, and therefore effective in shooting (10/19, including 6/12 behind the arc), involved in rebounds and altruistic when necessary (17 rebounds and 5 assists), the MIP 2021 signed a very complete match to guide his people to a quiet success.
– The premature exit of Dejounte Murray. The Hawks point guard’s left ankle spun in the first quarter, after a reception on the foot of RJ Barrett (who received a flagrant foul for it) following a mid-range shot on the out screen. Limping afterwards, he went to the locker room and never came back. We imagine that it is, at worst, a slight sprain, and that its absence, if absence there should be, should not be disproportionate. The Hawks have yet to communicate on this subject.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ Quentin Grimes. Now installed for good in the five major Knicks, the back was very good, in the shadow of Julius Randle. In 31 minutes, the former college of Houston planted 23 points at 8/11 on shots, excellent of course in the exercise of outside shooting (5/7). He added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, for a complete game on both sides of the field. The starting back of the Knicks, without any further debate.
✅⛔️ Jalen Brunson. Despite a terrible clumsiness (2/14 on shots) and 4 ball losses, the Knicks point guard found a way to remain “valuable” to punctuate the game in the positive +/- (+9). In particular by adding 6 assists and playing a very good defense on Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic. A veteran’s game in other words, who knew how to step back to let his teammates shine.
✅⛔️ Trae Young. Even if he finished with a terrible -26 +/- (the worst on his team), because of a suspicious defense and 4 ball losses, the Hawks point guard was still one of the (very ) rare satisfactions on the Atlanta side, in this collective slump. With 19 points and 6 assists, “Ice Trae” did what he could to limit the damage, but like his team, was clearly not one of his best games, he who usually makes high damage when it moves to “MSG”.
⛔️ Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Serb has been the symbol of the Hawks’ terrible skill problems. After a successful second game against the Thunder, the back did not succeed in chaining and completely lost himself: in 25 minutes, he only scored 9 points at 3/16 on shots, including an incredible … 0/10 behind the arc! A nightmarish evening for “Bogi”, whose performance was almost disturbing as it was missed.
THE FOLLOWING
– Knicks (12-13): trip to Charlotte, on the night of Friday to Saturday (01:00)
– Hawks (13-12): short trip to Brooklyn, the same night (01:30)
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