If Tom Thibodeau’s recent changes to the Knicks’ rotation were aimed at prioritizing his longtime coach’s tight-fisted defense, the results have followed suit.
The Knicks kept an opponent under 90 points for a second straight game and, not coincidentally, came up with another home win over a team in the top-6 in the Eastern Conference standings with a thorough 113-89 win Wednesday night over Trae Young and the Falcons in the garden.
Julius Randle pinned six 3-pointers and led the Knicks with 34 points and 17 rebounds. And youngest starter Quentin Grimes continued his strong two-way play with five 3s and a season-high 23 points in 8-for-11 shooting in 31 minutes after thrashing in Sunday’s 92-81 win over Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers drove for 40 minutes.
RJ Barrett added 15 points for the Knicks, who held Young and the Hawks from 3-point range in a dismal 6-for-36 shooting night (16.7 percent) to move to 12 before Friday’s visit to Charlotte -13 to improve. Obi Toppin did not return to the game after halftime, in what the Knicks described as a sore right knee.
Young missed all four of his 3-point attempts but scored 19 points to lead the Hawks (13-12) despite imported guard Dejounte Murray leaving the game in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle and not returning. He finished with two points in four minutes after lighting up the Knicks in his first Garden appearance earlier this season.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket while New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) defends. NY POST Photo/Robert Sabo
Miles McBride was in Thibodeau’s revised nine-man rotation over 27 minutes plus 19, contributing three points and six assists. Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish have not played for the second straight game, while Evan Fournier sat out his 12th straight game since his last appearance on November 13.
Of course, Young has embraced the Garden fans’ villain role ever since the Hawks eliminated the Knicks in five games in the 2021 playoffs. During the pre-game warm-up, he playfully wore burgundy-colored sneakers with the words “King of Broadway” on them.
Young was usually heavily booed when he was introduced before the game, although it was his new starting mate who set the Knicks on fire on the Hawks’ previous visit to MSG on Nov. 2 with 36 points, nine assists and five steals . Murray would have been a strong trade suited for the Knicks in the summer, but Atlanta acquired him from San Antonio for three first-round picks — including the one received in January’s Reddish trade.
Miles McBride jumps at the chance to write regularly for the Knicks.NY POST Photo/Robert Sabo
Barrett committed a flagrant foul on Murray three minutes into the game, and the 2022 All-Star departed just after the technical free throws.
Five early 3-pointers from Randle (3-for-3), Barrett and Grimes — while the Hawks missed their first five tries from long range — helped the Knicks to a quick double-digit lead en route to a 31-20 advantage through a quarter.
McBride and Immanuel Quickley were the first two substitutes from Thibodeau to come on late in the first game. Before the game, McBride, 22, said he jumped at the chance to make regular contributions “head-on”.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with a 34-point outing. NY POST Photo/Robert Sabo
“I’m not afraid of any opportunity,” he added. “I will approach any challenge as I have always done.”
Grimes and McBride have given the Knicks full-backs a boost in the last two games. The Knicks also held Cleveland on Sunday with a 34.9 overall shooting percentage and 22.9 percent (8 to 35) from 3-point ranges.
The Knicks scored the first seven points of the second quarter to extend their lead to 18 before a 17-0 burst from the Hawks — much of it with Young on the bench — pulled Atlanta back to one.
But Grimes blew a 3 and added a few finishes on the rim for a dozen points at halftime, helping the Knicks rebuild some of their cushion to lead 53-41 at the break.
The crowd cheered as Young pulled a technical foul for complaining to the officials in the third period, and Randle sank two more late 3-pointers as the Knicks increased the score to 89-67 as they went into the final phase went.