Atlanta Hawks: Rapid Reaction to Strong Win vs. Knicks
By Chris Guest
Rapid reactions to the Atlanta Hawks defeating the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
The Atlanta Hawks came into tonight’s game against the New York Knicks with only 2 road wins on the season. They left the stadium with 3.
The Hawks played perhaps their best game as a team (and definitely their best against the Knicks), as many players had their best nights, or at least their most efficient.
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The Knicks came out swinging early, but the Hawks, who have not been known for their resiliency and fight on the season, weathered the storm and managed to counterpunch with some clutch scoring and rather spirited defense – the latter of which is a rarity for this young team.
New York led for roughly 80 percent of this game, but the Hawks managed to keep the pressure on and upped their defensive intensity as a team as they moved into the 4th quarter. Perhaps the Knicks’ shots just weren’t falling, but the Hawks did limit the Knicks to 27 three-point attempts – where New York only shot 27 percent on the evening.
The Knicks did jump on the Hawks in the 1st quarter – outscoring Atlanta 39 to 28 – but the Atlanta Hawks gradually put the clamps down as a unit, limiting them to 30 points, 20 points then finally 18 points in the 4th quarter consecutively, showcasing a focus on defense as the game wore on.
Rookie Kevin Knox started out hot for NY, and he finished with 24 points on 8 of 17 shooting. Noted Hawks killer Tim Hardaway Jr. was limited to only 15 points on 4 of 10 shooting, but the real killer on the night was Emmanuel Mudiay, who finished with a whopping 32 points.
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This was a gutsy, complete win for the Atlanta Hawks, and gives them two straight wins over teams with losing records. Many players had great nights for the home team, which we will delve into tomorrow with our Takeaways piece on Soaring Down South. Stay tuned!