Not Today, Trae! Knicks Crush Hawks Behind Ruthless Randle's Rout
Insistent on using a nine-man rotation for the New York Knicks' immediate future endeavors, head coach Tom Thibodeau was able to break that commitment for the sweetest of reasons on Wednesday night against an old enemy.
Though Cam Reddish and Derrick Rose remained in exile, the Knicks crushed the Atlanta Hawks in convincing fashion, using a monstrous Julius Randle double-double to earn a 113-89 victory that allowed Thibodeau to play his reserves in the closing stages. Behind Randle's 34-point, 17-rebound output, the Knicks (12-13) not only managed to break even on a brutal four-game homestand at Madison Square Garden but they earned their first winning streak since Nov. 15-16.
Facing off against self-proclaimed royalty in frequent MSG pest Trae Young, the Knicks also enjoyed a brilliant shooting night from Quentin Grimes, who sank 8-of-11 attempts from the field. Mitchell Robinson handled business on the offensive glass, giving the Knicks nine extra chances.
New York jumped out to an 11-point lead after the first quarter and inflated that advantage to 18 within the first three minutes of the second. A diverse 17-0 scoring effort from Atlanta, which was working without Dejounte Murray for a majority of the ball game (already without fellow starters John Collins and De'Andre Hunter), narrowed the gap to as close as it could be at one.
Grimes, however, set the tone for the rest of the game, accounting for seven points of a 15-6 Knicks run to close the half. Randle took care of the rest, scoring 19 points in the third period to build a lasting lead that reached as high as 28. The accurate antics of Randle and Grimes (who united for 18-of-30 from the field) made up for an off night from RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson (6-of-27) though each did their part with seven rebounds and six assists respectively.
The Knicks also did their part by outrebounding Atlanta (13-12) 55-39 and limiting the Hawks to 16 percent from three-point range (6-of-36). Young managed to lead the team with 19 points, forced to take on a bulk of the offensive load when Murray was forced to leave in the opening stages of the first due to a left ankle sprain sustained when he landed awkwardly on Barrett when taking a jumper. Barrett was assessed a flagrant foul for a "reckless closeout."
Ending yet another dubious streak of futility, the Knicks also allowed fewer than 90 points in consecutive games for the first time since last December, a streak that ironically began with a Christmas Day win over the Hawks.
New York and Atlanta will do battle again on Jan. 20 after splitting the first half of four matchups. In the meantime, the Knicks will look to win three games in a row for the first time since October in Charlotte on Friday night (7 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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