Knicks 119, Hawks 110: Snake eyes
Trae Young crapped out against the superior point guard in an MSG MLK Day matinee
Back in December, I challenged fans to take a deeper look at Trae Young’s infamous “villainy” against the New York Knicks. “Young’s hold over New York doesn’t exist outside of that [2021 playoff] series,” I wrote, ahead of the teams meeting in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals. Naturally Young proceeded to post a 22-point, 11-assist double-double, knocking New York out and capping it off with a controversial halfcourt celebration.
Monday’s rematch was more my speed. It was also a return to reality for Young, who looked more like the “Scooby-Doo villain” I made him out to be in that December column. Atlanta’s point guard scored 27 points, sure, but on 8-of-22 shooting, finishing with more turnovers (nine) than baskets or assists (six each) at the hands of an absolutely dismantling Knicks’ defensive front. He’s only had more turnovers in a game once this season, in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. I don’t need to remind New York fans about OKC’s octopoidal defense.
All Young’s would-be moments in this one were mis-aimed, miscalculated, misfired. Jalen Brunson spearheaded a Knicks second half spent outscoring the visitors 65-48 en route to a 119-110 win, New York improved to 28-16 on the season and Young is now 6-8 all-time at Madison Square Garden, his supposed home away from home. Not bad for a Monday.
Notes
Mikal Bridges led the charge on defense for the Knicks, in what was one of if not his best game this season. He made Young’s life increasingly difficult, a day’s work highlighted in this one possession where he stonewalled him for a full 24 seconds.
Young, when guarded by Bridges this season, has shot 9-for-30 from the field and 4-for-12 from three, to go with five turnovers.
Bridges only made one of two threes against the Hawks, but played the complementary 3-and-D role fans envisioned when Leon Rose acquired him for that infamous bounty. Bridges scored 26 points in-between his dominant defense, including 14 in the third quarter. Name a more polarizing non-All-Star. I’ll wait.
What was probably my favorite game of the year from Bridges was debatably my least favorite from Karl-Anthony Towns. He finished with just 13 points, adding nine rebounds, seven assists and a block to go with some uncharacteristically effective defense, including a stop on Young.
KAT’s subpar shooting (5-of-18 from the floor, 1-of-6 from three) doesn’t concern me. Towns is rusty, just two games returned from what sounds like a pretty legitimate thumb injury. But perhaps games where he doesn’t have it are games where he should be less vocal with the officials. It felt like each of his 18 shots were accompanied by some kind of scream or gesture about a no-call. Do I think he gets a bad whistle? Absolutely. He shot only two free throws in a pretty physical matchup. But I’m of the school of thought that no player who’s ever argued with officials mid-game has turned the tides, at least not in said game. Save your energy, Karl.
Miles McBride was great: 9/3/3 and a steal in 20 minutes. Between him and Bridges, Tom Thibodeau’s team was able to keep pressure on Young all 35 minutes he played. Great reps for the playoffs!
OG Anunoby finished with a season-low four shot attempts. Lest an 18-point outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves convince you he’s fine, rest nervous; I have joined the group thinking that he is not. I don’t know the answer for a man moving like he was forced to run a 5K the morning after his bachelor party. If it was just on offense, fine. But there were a number of looks under the rim that Anunoby didn’t seem interested in contesting against the Hawks. This was only his fifth game of the year with no blocks or steals. Surprisingly (at least to me), it’s only the eighth game he’s played 40 or more minutes.
Every single team in the NBA needs a Cam Payne. He truly is Immanuel Quickley reincarnate, even if only in the ways he bounces up and down the court. There’ve been 126 games this season where a player has scored 10 or more points off the bench in 15 or less minutes. Payne has six of those, more than any other player.
Last but never least: the Captain was on fire. Brunson finished with 34 and six assists on 74% true shooting; more importantly, he defied the Dyson Daniels allegations. Similar to his efforts against Andre Jackson and A.J. Green of the Milwaukee Bucks, Brunson took to baiting the Hawks’ 6-foot-7 wing early. Daniels was subbed out at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter with two fouls and ended his day the way he started it, fouling out with 76 seconds remaining. Like the scene of a crime, Daniels’ fingerprints were all over this one in the worst of ways.
It’s refreshing to see Brunson not only adjust to Daniels’ defense, but do so convincingly. Back in December, he shot 5-for-15 against the Hawks as Daniels locked him down and Young refused to shut up. The rematch couldn’t have gone any better, with Brunson’s incandescence outshining them all.
Walt Clyde Frazier, at some point in the first half, mentioned Atlanta’s pace and how they wanted to make this matchup a “helter-skelter.” A quick internet search redefined that Clydeism as “a state of confusion and dismay.” I’d say they got what they wanted. And so did the Knicks.