Regardless of whether they’re hitting shots or overmatched in terms of talent, the Knicks have been playing defense consistently and committed. That’s already an improvement from the last few seasons. And it boosted Tom Thibodeau’s sqaud to another win Monday, 113-108, over the Hawks and their high-powered offense.
The Knicks (4-3) have won four of their last five games and represent a positive surprise at the start of this campaign. It’s a nondescript bunch but the heroes were abound Monday: Julius Randle, the clear team leader, dropped 28 points with 17 rebounds and nine assists; RJ Barrett added 26 points with 11 rebounds in 44 minutes; Austin Rivers was clutch down the stretch for a second straight game, logging 33 minutes and connecting on the biggest bucket of the night — a 3-pointer with 1:25 left to give the Knicks a 4-point edge; Immanuel Quickley, the rookie out of Kentucky, was the catalyst at point guard, needing just 19 minutes to score 16 points. The Knicks outscored Atlanta by 17 when Quickley played.
“We didn’t play great but we found a way to win,” Thibodeau said. “And I love the fight in this team.”
The Hawks (4-3) opened up a 15-point lead in the third quarter on the back of Trae Young, the Hawks All-Star who is adept at shooting, dissecting the defense and drawing fouls. Young finished with 31 points but was bottled up down the stretch by Rivers.
The point guard scored his final points on a lay-up with 2:26 left, cutting the deficit to three and setting up a nervy finish. About 40 seconds later, Mitchell Robinson blocked another layup attempt from John Collins but DeAndre Bembry hit a trey on Atlanta’s ensuing possession to make the score, 107-106.
That’s when Rivers connected on his big shot for the commanding lead. The Knicks almost coughed it up with sloppy play in the final seconds but Atlanta couldn’t capitalize.
The Knicks remained without Alec Burks (sprained ankle), Dennis Smith Jr. (contused quad), Obi Toppin (strained calf) and Frank Ntilikina (sprained knee). Burks is the closest to returning, according to Thibodeau. Center Nerlens Noel was a late scratch because of an ankle injury sustained in the previous game.
With so many inactive, Thibodeau used a tight eight-man rotation and giving heavy minutes to Randle and Barrett, in particular.
Free throws were a topic before the game because of Young’s ability to draw fouls. The Hawks guard has been receiving flak for his technique of inviting contact by stopping short and waiting for the defender to run into him. In some instances, Young initiates the contact but receives the call. It happened Monday, when Young took 15 foul shots, and Thibodeau expressed his dissatisfaction to the officials.
During his game last week coaching against the Hawks, Brooklyn coach Steve Nash was seen telling the referees, “That’s not basketball.” But it is legal. James Harden is the original master of the trick, and despite grumblings about its honesty, the league certainly hasn’t halted its practice.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who also served as a Team USA assistant, noted the shooter isn’t given such a benefit in international basketball.
“It’s interesting. I watched the Brooklyn games and I saw it (from Young),” Thibodeau said. “There’s been that trend that started with Harden and the league in general, protecting the shooters. It’s interesting, having coached internationally in FIBA, they don’t give players those calls. We have to concentrate on our body position, keep our hands back and be disciplined.”
Young, the 6-foot point guard, went to the foul line 70 times in his first six games. His 11.67 foul shots per game were second to only Harden, and Young was connecting on an impressive 88.6% of them. He was also averaging 28.2 points on a team with playoff aspirations. The Hawks were top-4 in the league in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage, which put Thibodeau on alert for defending the perimeter.
Overall, the game plan worked.
“That’s the challenge we have in a great player like Young with the ball in his hands,” Thibodeau said. “They put a lot of pressure on you with the roll to the rim. And they get to the rim quick with (Clint) Capela and Collins. And then the shooting on the perimeter puts a lot of pressure on your defense. So you have to do more than one thing. We have to get into the ball, we have to protect the paint, get out and cover the line. It’s everyone tied together and it’s going to require great effort.”
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Isolation and team bonding became a product of a road-heavy start to the season for the Knicks, who Monday finished a four-game, seven-day trip.
The team played six of their opening eight games away from MSG.
“In some ways I liked our schedule,” Thibodeau said. “When you look at it, we played tough teams and spent quite a bit of time on the road. It was almost like going away for training camp. You try to take the positives out of that — with the team meals the film sessions. Being around each other as much as we are, that’s been very productive for us — individual film sessions, that sort of thing. Obviously, we prefer to be home. It’s a balanced schedule. At some point it will flip.”
The Knicks’ next three games are at home, beginning with Wednesday against the Jazz.
