Losing streak is now 6: Atlanta Hawks fall to New York Knicks 128-125

The score was tied at 121 with less than two minutes to play when New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson (34 points) squared up Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young (9 points and 10 assists) and nailed a jump shot to put the Knicks ahead by two points. He did the same thing at the end of the first quarter to give his team a 33-27 lead. Young returned the favor and made a pair of free throws to tie the game before the Hawks regained the lead 125-124.

The game had been a back-and-forth affair throughout, and after the Knicks were back in front 126-125 courtesy of free throws from OG Anunoby 15 points and 10 rebounds), Atlanta had the ball and 15.6 seconds to seize the day. Following a turnover and two more Anunoby free throws, Atlanta had the ball back, but this time they were down by three points with 7.3 seconds to play.

They missed. They lost. Again. The 128-125 loss was the sixth consecutive loss for the Hawks. After the game, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said his team fought hard.

“I thought our whole team competed,” Snyder said. “We just have to fight and we fought.”

The Knicks (now 22-9 overall) and Hawks (15-18), not necessarily rivals, are more like interested parties due to the large number of New Yorkers now residing in Atlanta. The teams experienced 10 lead changes during the first quarter of Saturday night’s game.

Residing on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings, the Knicks were nipping at the heels of the Detroit Pistons, a team that has defeated the Hawks twice this season and has the best record in the East. The Hawks, on the other hand, had lost their last five games and were looking for a spark of any kind.

Rebounding has been an issue for Atlanta during its losing streak, and the first quarter ended with the team losing another rebounding battle. Early in the second quarter, the Knicks were ahead 21-11 on the boards. Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns (36 points and 15 rebounds) had five of those rebounds to go along with eight points. One of those offensive rebounds led to a dunk by Knicks forward Mikail Bridges (14 points and 8 assists) for a 45-37 lead. Moments earlier, Bridges dunked on a fastbreak to bring the largely pro-Knicks crowd to its feet. A Bridges three-pointer would give New York its largest lead of the first half, 59-49, with 3:30 to play before halftime.

The Knicks would be up by 16 points by the time Hawks head coach Quin Snyder called a timeout at the 8:19 mark of the third quarter. The Hawks were out of sync on defense. At this point in the game, the Knicks had more offensive rebounds, total rebounds, and steals.

Atlanta’s best players, Jalen Johnson and Young, got off to slow starts. Combined, they had six first-half points. When Young was subbed out of the game at the 6:55 mark of the third quarter, he looked dejected and sat slumped on the end of the Hawks’ bench. When Young returned to the game with two minutes remaining in the quarter, he quickly took the ball to the basket, scored, and was fouled. The successful free throw may have only been Young’s fifth point of the game, but it brought Atlanta within six points of the Knicks.

The fourth quarter had the Knicks, particularly Towns, at the free-throw line often. When he wasn’t at the line, he was nailing long three-pointers like the two he made to help give the Knicks a 112-100 lead with 7:41 to play.

Hawks’ undersized center Onyeka Okongwu (31 points and 14 rebounds) played one of his most complete games with 25 points and 13 rebounds. The same could be said for Nikeil Alexander-Walker, who came off the bench on Saturday to provide instant offense whenever the Hawks needed it. His three-pointer with five minutes to play pulled Atlanta within three points of the Knicks at 114-111.

The Hawks will face another quality opponent and a much bigger test when they travel west to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Monday, December 29. It will be the first time the two teams will play this season, and an annual homecoming for Young.

Atlanta will return to State Farm Arena to host the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta native Anthony Edwards on New Year’s Eve. The game will have a special 3 p.m. tipoff.

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