NEW YORK _ The New York Knicks had the ball in the waning seconds and three shots to win a game they absolutely needed.
Derrick Rose had his layup blocked by Paul Millsap. Carmelo Anthony got the rebound, but his short baseline shot was long and Joakim Noah's tip hit the front of the rim. When things are going bad, nothing falls for you.
The Knicks lost again, 108-107, to the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden Monday afternoon. It was their 11th defeat in the past 13 games.
With the game tied at 103, Rose drove and scored inside to give the Knicks the lead with 1:17 left. But Paul Millsap was fouled and hit both free throws to make it 105-105 with 60 seconds again.
Rose delivered again, knocking down a floater with 43.1 seconds. But the Knicks needed a stop and, as has been their problem all season, they couldn't get it. Dennis Schroder drilled a three-pointer with 22.1 seconds. It proved to be the game-winner.
Anthony finished with 30 points. He shot 10-for-16, but missed the one the Knicks (18-24) had to have. Rose added 18 points and nine assists. Noah grabbed 17 rebounds and scored seven points.
Schroder led Atlanta with 28 points on 13-for-16 shooting. Former Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 and Millsap 17 for the Hawks, who gave Dwight Howard a rest day.
Bad starts have plagued the Knicks throughout the season. They were down 15 in the first half Sunday against Toronto, and trailed by 38 in the third quarter.
That prompted the change to the starting lineup Monday. Hornacek also started Mindaugas Kuzminskas up front with Porzingis and Lance Thomas (fractured orbital bone) sidelined.
Although the players involved in the switch were surprising, the Knicks got off to a better start against Atlanta. They were up 54-53 at the half after Anthony drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer.
But the Knicks had another sluggish start to the third quarter. They didn't score their first basket until nearly four minutes had elapsed and fell behind 64-56.
Eventually, the Knicks' offense came around in the third, but their defense had its usual slippage. The Hawks scored 35 in the quarter and led 88-83 after three. The third ended with Anthony hitting another buzzer beater.
But the Knicks started the fourth with a sense of urgency and with Baker providing a big lift. He had a steal and two three-pointers in a 10-0 run that gave the Knicks a 93-88 lead with 8:31 left.
The Knicks were up 95-90 after a Justin Holiday baseline jumper with 7:25 left. But the lead was gone less than two minutes later, as Hardaway made three straight jump shots to make it 96-95 Hawks with 5:50 to go.
Holiday gave the Knicks the lead again on the next trip. Later, they extended to 103-98 on an Anthony jump shot with 3:02 left. But Hardaway Jr. connected again, this time on a three-pointer.
On the other end, Rose drove and Hardaway Jr. slid over and drew a questionable charge. Hardaway appeared to be moving. That led to a driving layup by Schroder over Rose to tie the game with 2:08 left.
