Julius Randle and RJ Barrett carried the night and charge, each playing 40 minutes, plus and combining for 54 points.
But rookie quarterback Immanuel Quickley in the third game of the NBA and veteran Austin Rivers took the Knicks home in the fourth quarter as they squeaked a 113-108 victory in Atlanta to ended the four-game journey at 3-1. .
Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks is now a 4-3 winning club – by far New York’s strongest NBA team after winning four of its last five games.
Like his skill, Quickley drew a huge three-shot foul with 2:34 left, putting all three free throws while finishing with 16 points in 19 minutes, playing almost the fourth quarter 10 points.
Rivers, in his recent closer role, hit a huge 3-pointer with less than a minute left, then charged Trae Young.
Randle scored 12 points in the first quarter and finished with 28 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, missing a triple-double dish to continue his All-Star season. The Hawks were the first team not to double the Knicks’ emerging star team.
RJ Barrett was great with 26 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 44 minutes, while the Knicks scored 15 points in the third quarter.
The Knicks have a small depth of great man, with Obi Toppin and Omari Spellman and received a blow when Nerlens Noel was ruled out with an ankle sprain. Noel was not in the report of the accident.
This forced Randle into important minutes (43). With Randle dominating inside and the Knicks attacking the rim, the club dominated the paint. Twelve of the first 14 points were in the paint. The Knicks starters built an early 24-14, capped by a nice feed from Payton to Barrett, for a quick hit that lifted the Knicks 10.
Asked why he stayed with Quickley in fourth, Thibodeau said:
“It simply came to our notice then. Exactly how he approaches the game, the attitude, the approach. He has that ability that opens everything. Every day it gets better and better. When you’re as smart as him, he takes over quickly. We searched and struggled, found a group and rode with it. “
He quickly scored on a float to start the fourth quarter, making it 88-86. He finished 4 out of 6 on the field, 2 for 3 from the 3-point line and 6 out of 6 from the line.
The Knicks fell 15 points before rallying in the last 1:30 of the third quarter. Kevin Knox hit a 3-pointer for his first bucket of the night. Quickley blew on former Cam Reddish, one of the most important dukes, for training. And then Knox hit another 3 – a buzzer-beater from the corner, then raised his arms in celebration, while the Knicks took an 88-84 lead.