The last time the Hawks came to Madison Square Garden was for the NBA Cup, and Trae Young had once again played a nasty trick on the Knicks, allowing himself to eliminate New York and antagonize the local fans by miming dice throws, a symbol of the fact that he was going to join Las Vegas…
We were therefore waiting to see if “Ice Trae” was going to punish his favorite victims again, and the first half seemed to indicate this, notably thanks to a fiery second quarter from the playmaker!
With already 18 points 5/6 away from Trae Young at the break, the Hawks took the lead (62-54) and Knicks fans were certainly starting to have a feeling of déjà vu. Fortunately for them, Mikal Bridges started the third quarter very strongly to put his team straight back into the game.
Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson then took over and the Knicks took control of the game. De’Andre Hunter woke up to bring the Hawks back into the game but the New York defense raised its voice.
So much in difficulty on Trae Young during their last confrontation, Mikal Bridges this time did a lot of work on the leader, who was no longer able to find space and was getting more and more annoyed. Yet not necessarily brilliant offensively, like Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks held on (119-110) thanks to their defense, while Dyson Daniels had to come out for six fouls, Jalen Brunson kindly saying goodbye to him .
-WHAT TO REMEMBER
– The Knicks won the game on defense. The “Big Apple” team has mainly won games thanks to its offense this season. This time, it was because his players, led by the efforts of Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, managed to slow down the Hawks in the second half that they won.
– The good contribution of the Knicks bench. Tom Thibodeau used his replacements early, and they paid him back. Cameron Payne, Miles McBride, Precious Achiuwa and Landry Shamet all contributed, the first even having achieved an important 3+1 in the fourth quarter, despite the “flopping” sanctioned on the action.
– Onyeka Okongwu titular. Very good lately, the usual substitute was in the Hawks’ main five for this match, placing the usual starter, Clint Capela, off the bench.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
