Recapping the Atlanta Hawks’ Wild 2OT Win Over NYK

Recapping the 2 OT thriller between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks.

The Atlanta Hawks took on the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon in a battle between two of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams.

The first quarter was rough for Atlanta, scoring just 20 while giving up 31 to one of more substandard offenses in the league. Atlanta shot just 31% in the first quarters, making it one of their worst offensively in a while.

While they corrected course a bit in that regard in the 2nd quarter, and still were not good at all defensively. They allowed 32 in the 2nd to the Knicks.

They did (pretty quickly) overcome a 15-point deficit, turning that into a double-digit lead of their own in about a quarter’s length.

This was thanks to some inspired play by not only All-Star starter Trae Young, but rookie De’Andre Hunter and old friend Dewayne Dedmon as well. John Collins was also doing his thing down low as well, getting to the line and above the rim often.

The Hawks carried a 10-12 point lead throughout most of the third quarter, before New York went on a coruscating run making it close down the stretch.

A Reggie Bullock three with just over two minutes remaining cut the lead to just two, then with 1:14 left, N.Y got it down to two on a dunk.

A missed Dewayne Dedmon corner three gave the Knicks a chance to tie, before Dedmon redeemed the miss with a block out of bounds, his 6th on the night.

Julius Randle was then fouled and went to the line to tie with 30 seconds remaining; knotting things up at 116-116.

Trae Young took the ball, rode a John Collins screen into the paint and tried to find Collins on the lob, which was intercepted by Julius Randle. He attempted to go coast-to-coast for the game winner, calling his own number on a isolation, before missed a fadeaway.

De’Andre Hunter came down with the rebound, and the Hawks got a timeout off with :01.2 left and advancement past half-court. Huerter in-bounded to Young, who got free and nearly (and I mean nearly) missing a floater over Mitchell Robinson. OT.

The Hawks fell behind by five in the opening minutes of overtime, suffering a few turnovers and a blocked three. Two Elfrid Payton free throws gave the Knicks a seven point lead.

In total there was three turnovers in the Hawks’ first five OT possessions, basically tyring to hand the game away.

Thankfully, the Hawks went on a 6-0 run after that, with back-to-back lay-ins by Trae before Collins made the play of the night.

He blocked a shot on one end of the court, before tipping in a miss on the other end. Knicks led 126-124 with 32.5 seconds remaining after that.

After running out the clock on the ensuing possession, Payton got called for a travel looking to ice the game, giving the Hawks the ball, down two with 11 seconds remaining.

Huerter again in-bounded, with Trae going for the tie in the paint. This time, he was fouled by Payton, sending him to the line with a chance to tie. He did so, effortlessly. Double OT.

Early in 2OT, Mitchell Robinson threw down a huge and-one (although his missed the free throw) jam, fouling out Dedmon in the process. Teague filled his spot, tasking John Collins to cover Robinson at the center spot.

It turned into a bit of a foul-fest after that, with the two teams sharing attempts at the line. A De’Andre Hunter three gave the Hawks a four point lead, before a crazy sequence including a Trae Young steal, missed lay up, a Kevin Huerter offensive rebound, and Teague finding Trae absolutely wide open in the corner to take a seven point lead with 2:12 left.

They essentially flipped the script of the first OT, with the Hawks being down seven in that period. It looked like the Knicks would be making a comeback as well early, with the Knicks cutting it to three with 48 seconds remaining.

Neither teams played good situational ball with the OT lead. Payton missed a three to tie, and the Hawks did their best to run out the clock on the next possession.

Young hit two free throws with 12.4 remaining to give the Hawks a 5-point lead, essentially icing the game, although Randle did make a gimmie dunk to bring the deficit back down to three.

That sent Young back to the line for his 47th and 48th points, giving them a 140-135 lead that ended up being the final score.

Notes:

• The Hawks are now 1-3 this season in OT games; Knicks are 2-1.
• Trae Young’s 48 points are the 2nd most he’s scored his season, and it’s the first time this season he’s shot 16 or more free throws without a miss. He added 13 assists.
• 16 boards for John Collins, although the Hawks still lost the team rebound battle.
• In his triumphant, winning return to Atlanta, Dewayne Demon matched his career high in blocks with six, adding ten points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench.

The Hawks have now won 2 of 3, heading into Monday’s match up with Orlando. They improve to 15-39.