Things looked very bleak in the first half, but the Knicks turned the intensity up to 11 in the second half and secured a huge comeback victory to send the series to Atlanta tied 1-1.

One paragraph to describe the game

This game was so close to basically just being a waving of the white flag. The Knicks entered the half down 57-44 and looked listless. Then, the second half happened. Tom Thibodeau opted to bench Elfrid Payton and Nerlens Noel for Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, and that change provided a spark for the Knicks in the third quarter (along with a return to form by Julius Randle), allowing them to take the lead heading into the final frame. The Hawks came knocking a couple times, but huge games from Rose, Reggie Bullock, Obi Toppin, and more helped put Atlanta away and tie the series up.

Game ball

Derrick Rose: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2-3 from three

Rose was the main reason the Knicks were able to even be in this game in the second half. He had 14 points in the first half, and then followed that with 12 in the second half. His energy is infectious — it wasn’t just the scoring, but the distributing, the hustle, everything. At one point Rose came up with a huge board against Clint Capela on the inside at a critical juncture. That trade for him before the deadline might go down as one of the best in Knicks history if he can keep this up for a couple years and end his career in New York.

Big stat

32-18. The third quarter score, in favor of the Knicks. After spending the first half looking like the Knicks of the mid-2000s, the present day Knicks finally remembered that they’re a team that is quite good at defense and has some shooters on offense. It also helped that newly-minted Most Improved Player Julius Randle played like one.

Unsung hero

Obi Toppin: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, the most beautiful highlight of the game

Other significant performances

Reggie Bullock: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4-7 from three

Alec Burks: 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists

Julius Randle: 15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists