Trae Young once again masterfully stuck it on the Knicks and their fans.
The 2021 postseason villain and his Hawks essentially ended the Knicks’ season for the second straight spring by silencing the booing Gardena crowd with 45 points and eight assists in a 117-111 win Tuesday night that spurred the Knicks ” is even closer to the mathematical departure.
R. J. Barrett was unable to fully match Young due to leading scorer Julius Randle’s lack of injury, posting 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks. 10 play.
“We must continue to fight. You are not eliminated until you are eliminated. Crazy things happen in sports,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “Just win the next game. That’s all we think about.”
45-point Trae Young prepares for a layup during the Knicks’ 117-111 loss to the Hawks.Getty Images
With Randle sidelined with a daily quadriceps injury, those who demanded more minutes for 2020 lottery pick Obi Toppin got their wish for at least one game. Toppin completed several dunks and finished with 10 points in 24 minutes in his third start of the season.
Alec Burks also had 21 points and Immanuel Quickly had 17 for the Knicks, who fell to 30-42, setting a losing record since last year’s 41-31 revival. Bogdan Bogdanovich supported Young by scoring 32 goals for the Hawks (36-36).
Sure enough, Young led his team to a five-game first-round playoff victory over the Knicks last spring. The Knicks had actually won their previous seven regular season games against Atlanta, however, it was the longest regular season streak for any team in this game since the Knicks also won seven games in a row against Atlanta in season 2003–05.
R. J. Barrett, who scored 30 points, makes a move against Trae Young during the loss to the Knicks. Jason Senesh
Young, who heard profanity at himself during three playoff games at the Garden last year, did not compete in the New York Christmas pageant this season due to COVID-19. The Knicks won this game with a triple-double by defenseman Kemba Walker after the shutdown, and they also won two games in Atlanta on November 27 and January 15.
“It is important for us to play winning basketball. We have great fans. We have to make sure we’re doing the right thing to win the game. So don’t get hung up on emotions and stuff like that,” Thibodeau said. “Play well. Do what we need to do to win and that’s what I want to focus on. We know it’s a very talented team.
“So, all this hype is what makes the game special here. I think most league players like to come here to play. This is the best arena in the league, in the world. And the fans are amazing, so you get the best out of them. We need to make sure we are doing our best.”
Julius Randle, who hasn’t played due to right quadriceps tendon pain, watches the Knicks lose. Jason Senesh
Since Randle was sidelined, the offense mostly went through Barrett in the first half, and he scored 17 points and three assists – all passes for dunks to either Toppin or Mitchell Robinson.
Halfway through the second round, the Knicks had a 12-point lead. But Young ended the half with 24 points, including four 3-pointers, with the Hawks leading 64–58 before halftime.
Threes by Young and Kevin Huerter early in the third extended Atlanta’s lead to 11, but the Knicks snapped the streak 23–10, culminating in a dunk by Jericho Sims and a Burks jumper, to take an 85–83 lead in less than a minute. left in the third and by two points in the last quarter.
When Young sat down to start fourth, the Knicks extended their lead to 10 with Quickley’s 3-pointer and rookie Miles McBride. But Bogdanovich scored eight points in Atlanta’s 13-4 rush to close the gap to one, and Young connected from long range in a 105-105 game with just under three minutes left.
Subsequent 3-pointers from Bogdanovich and De’Andre Hunter and two more buckets from Young led to a tie and dropped the Knicks by six points with 1:04 left.