Trae Young Drops 45 in Return to MSG as Hawks Rally to Beat Knicks
The 2021-22 Atlanta Hawks finally figured out the New York Knicks.
Atlanta defeated New York 117-111 in Tuesday's Eastern Conference showdown at Madison Square Garden and improved to 36-36 in the process. The visiting team overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter with Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic turning in brilliant performances.
The Hawks were 0-3 against the Knicks heading into this matchup but moved a comfortable six games ahead of them in the race for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with the victory.
An impressive showing from RJ Barrett wasn't enough in Julius Randle's absence for New York, which fell to 30-42 with its second loss in a row.
Notable Player Stats
- Trae Young, G, ATL: 45 PTS, 8 AST, 7-of-15 3PT
- Bogdan Bogdanovic, G, ATL: 32 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
- RJ Barrett, G, NYK: 30 PTS, 13 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL
- Alec Burks, G, NYK: 21 PTS, 4 AST, 3 STL
Trae Young Does It Again at the Garden
Whenever Young visits MSG, it's always appointment viewing, and Tuesday figured to be no different.
After all, the two-time All-Star talked plenty of trash during last season's playoff series win over the Knicks and has drawn some derogatory chants from the New York crowd in the past. It didn't take long for that narrative to take center stage when Bogdanovic's baseball pass set up a Young buzzer-beater and staredown of the crowd to end the first quarter.
It was part of a brilliant start for Young, who helped the Hawks dig themselves out of an early 12-point hole and seize a six-point halftime lead.
He poured in 24 points by intermission by darting past defenders and draining threes whenever he had a sliver of space, and facilitated when multiple defenders collapsed on him. New York had no answers, whether it was the players defending him or the crowd booing him, but it wasn't a one-man show with Bogdanovic catching fire off the bench as the secondary option.
Just when it seemed like that duo would lead the Hawks to victory with little resistance, things fell apart on the offensive end.
They started turning the ball over at an alarming rate, and the ball movement that defined the first half was nowhere to be found. While Young answered with some deep threes, the visitors still fell behind by double digits early in the fourth quarter with sloppy and stagnant play.
Yet the MSG villain was there to take over when it mattered most.
Atlanta trailed by three heading into the final three minutes when Young drained a triple, assisted a Bogdanovic three and hit a pull-up jumper. Just like that, the Hawks were in control again and cruised to an impressive road victory.
Knicks' Comeback Effort Loses Steam at End
Few things have gone according to plan for the Knicks this season, and Tuesday was another challenge with Randle sidelined because of a quad injury.
Barrett unsurprisingly became the go-to option and staked his side to a quick lead with his ability to get into the lane and draw contact. It was frankly more of the same for the 21-year-old who averaged 28.3 points per game in February and entered play averaging 24.1 points a night in March.
While this has been a disappointing season for the Knicks, that Barrett is playing some of the best basketball of his career is an encouraging development for a team that frankly needs to look toward the future in what is shaping up to be a lost campaign.
Alec Burks and Evan Fournier also mixed in multiple three-pointers each, but the inability to even slow down Young on the other side meant New York's initial lead disappeared by halftime.
That changed in the third quarter when the Knicks dialed up the defense and parlayed turnovers into points. Burks, Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson all provided some secondary scoring; Immanuel Quickley found his stroke from deep; and Barrett continued to take advantage of scoring chances while helping control the glass.
While the Knicks were dominant enough at times to extend the lead to double digits in the final quarter, they also didn't have their leading scorer in Randle to counter when Young shifted into takeover mode down the stretch.
The defense that helped turn the tide in the third quarter by forcing turnovers gave up multiple open looks from deep in the final minutes, and the Knicks were unable to complete a season sweep of the Hawks.
What's Next?
Both teams are on the road Wednesday when the Knicks face the Charlotte Hornets and the Hawks play the Detroit Pistons.
