The New York Knicks (22–41) fought toe-to-toe with the Atlanta Hawks (40–23) at Madison Square Garden on Monday night for a nail-biting 99–98 win, their third straight against the Hawks this season.
After coming off an embarrassing loss to the New Jersey Nets on Saturday, in which they set a new NBA record going 0–18 in 3-point shots, the Knicks wasted no time taking it to the Hawks in the early minutes of the game.
Danilo Gallinari had the hot hand for the night, breaking the Knicks’s 3-point scoring drought at the start of the game. He then went 4–5 from downtown and 9–14 in field goals for 27 points. The Knicks shot 10–15 in 3-point shots overall.
David Lee played at his All-Star caliber with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Al Harrington contributed 14 coming off the bench.
The game got off to a highly competitive start with 13 lead changes and nine ties in the first half alone and neither team leading by more than four points. The Knicks dominated at the perimeter while the Hawks owned the paint.
The Knicks extended the lead by as much as seven near the end of the third quarter only to have it quickly erased. They picked up the scoring during the first half of the fourth quarter to lead by as much as 11, the largest lead of the night.
But the Knicks have been plagued by fourth quarter breakdowns this season, and Monday night was no exception, as the team couldn’t stop Hawks forward Josh Smith’s prolific fourth quarter scoring.
In the final seconds, the Knicks Wilson Chandler blocked Smith’s driving shot attempt, only to have the ball recovered by the Hawks’s Al Horford.
Horford quickly banked a shot in at the buzzer from the center of the paint that would have given the Hawks a 100–99 win. But upon review it was ruled that the ball left Horford’s hands after time had expired, giving New York the win.
Smith led the Hawks with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Johnson backed him up with 22 points while Horford tossed in 18 points.
The Knicks win comes with Tracy McGrady out with injury. They now start a tough five-game stretch on the road.
After coming off an embarrassing loss to the New Jersey Nets on Saturday, in which they set a new NBA record going 0–18 in 3-point shots, the Knicks wasted no time taking it to the Hawks in the early minutes of the game.
Danilo Gallinari had the hot hand for the night, breaking the Knicks’s 3-point scoring drought at the start of the game. He then went 4–5 from downtown and 9–14 in field goals for 27 points. The Knicks shot 10–15 in 3-point shots overall.
David Lee played at his All-Star caliber with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Al Harrington contributed 14 coming off the bench.
The game got off to a highly competitive start with 13 lead changes and nine ties in the first half alone and neither team leading by more than four points. The Knicks dominated at the perimeter while the Hawks owned the paint.
The Knicks extended the lead by as much as seven near the end of the third quarter only to have it quickly erased. They picked up the scoring during the first half of the fourth quarter to lead by as much as 11, the largest lead of the night.
But the Knicks have been plagued by fourth quarter breakdowns this season, and Monday night was no exception, as the team couldn’t stop Hawks forward Josh Smith’s prolific fourth quarter scoring.
In the final seconds, the Knicks Wilson Chandler blocked Smith’s driving shot attempt, only to have the ball recovered by the Hawks’s Al Horford.
Horford quickly banked a shot in at the buzzer from the center of the paint that would have given the Hawks a 100–99 win. But upon review it was ruled that the ball left Horford’s hands after time had expired, giving New York the win.
Smith led the Hawks with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Johnson backed him up with 22 points while Horford tossed in 18 points.
The Knicks win comes with Tracy McGrady out with injury. They now start a tough five-game stretch on the road.
