Gritty Knicks Squeak By Hawks To Get Back Over .500

"We showed a lot of toughness — more mental than physical — and found a way to win," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after the win.

Final Score: Knicks 116 - Hawks 114
Record: 6-5

With five minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Hawks forward Saddiq Bey came flying in from the top of the key to slam home a Bogdan Bogdanovic miss. Bey's bucket extended Atlanta's lead to seven points, 101-94. Thibs called a timeout as the crowd went wild. 

The dunk capped an 11-0 run for the Hawks, and it appeared the Knicks, playing without RJ Barrett (migraine) and Quentin Grimes (who was injured earlier in the quarter), were dead in the water. 

However, if we've learned anything about this team over the last 12 months, dating back to the start of last season, it's that they fight and claw and scratch and don't quit. And that's what they did over the final five minutes. 

In their first possession out of the timeout, New York ran high pick-and-roll action with Julius Randle as the ball handler and Immanuel Quickley as the screener to isolate Trae Young. Young, as expected, attempts to stick with IQ because he wants no part of switching onto Randle. This frees up Quick for a three-pointer.

On New York's next offensive possession, Randle calls for the same play. Young is able to stay closer to IQ this time, but because he has to close out so hard, Quick blows past him, gets into the paint and banks in a runner. Knicks within two. 

The next time down the floor, Jalen Brunson nailed a three-pointer to give New York the lead. While JB's trey was the cherry on top of the sundae, at least half of those three points should be credited to Mitchell Robinson. This one possession perfectly illustrates why Mitch Rob has been so incredibly valuable on both ends this season. 

First, Robinson pressures Clint Capela at the top of the key before switching onto the uber-twitchy Dejounte Murray, preventing him from getting a clean look. Mitch then clogs up the passing lane and steals Murray's dish to Capela. Mitch Rob then runs to the other end to crash the offensive glass. He dives on the floor and digs out the loose ball, pitching to Josh Hart in the corner, which leads to the Brunson triple. 

New York returns to the Randle/IQ two-man game on their next two offensive possessions. It leads to a pair of free throws for Quickley and a Randle kick-out to an open three-pointer for Brunson.  =

Quickley, who tallied 20 points and four dimes on the evening, scored ten of those points in the final frame, as the Knicks made attacking Young defensively a focal point of their offensive scheme. "(IQ) had Trae Young on him. When he has that matchup, he needs to be aggressive," Randle said. "That's exactly what he did. He came out, he was aggressive, and I think that's really what turned the game for us. Him coming out being aggressive propelled us and gave us the momentum we needed down the stretch."