Knicks Run Out Of Gas In Loss to the Hawks

Considering how tightly bunched the East standings are, these next three games are huge for New York.

Final Score: Knicks 100 - Hawks 116
Record: 36-26

The Knicks could have possibly overcome playing without their starting point guard, starting small forward, starting power forward, and starting center. 

But they couldn't overcome their starting shooting guard and Sixth Man missing 30 shots. 

New York got good looks early on but couldn't buy a bucket. The Hawks, on the other hand, were dicing up the Knicks' defense. In the second quarter, Atlanta had built a seemingly insurmountable 22-point lead. 

However, the Knicks reminded us once again that they are unwilling to go down without a fight. The Bockers got hot after halftime, locked in defensively, and scratched all the way back. After Josh Hart made a pair of layups late in the third quarter, the score was tied at 78-78. 

Yet, playing shorthanded eventually caught up with the club. New York looked gassed, and the Hawks pulled away in the final frame. 

The aforementioned Josh Hart looked like he was running on fumes in the first half, failing to score a single point over the first two quarters. Still, he led the charge in the third and finished the contest with 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three triples, two blocks and a steal across 43 minutes. 

It was the seventh straight game Hart has logged more than 40 minutes. Per Basketball Reference, that's the longest such streak by a Knick since Chris Duhon played 40+ minutes in nine consecutive contests in November of 2008. 

OG Anunoby missed his first game as a Knick on January 29th due to an elbow injury. Hart was inserted into the starting lineup that evening and has remained there since. During this six-week, 16-game stretch, Hart leads the NBA in minutes and is the only player averaging more than 40 minutes a night. 

Hart, whose wife gave birth to twins earlier this year, is celebrating his 29th birthday on Wednesday. I hope someone gifts him a massage and a nap. 

Donte DiVincenzo also ranks inside the top 5 in playing time during this span, logging over 38 minutes per game. He looked to be running on fumes vs. Atlanta as well. DiVincenzo scored a team-high 21 points and chipped in four rebounds, six assists, two steals and five three-pointers but was just 7-of-24 from the floor and 5–of-17 from behind the arc. 

Over his last four games, DDV has shot below 37% from the field, below 33% from three-point territory, and below 67% from the charity stripe.   

In his prior 15 contests, from late January through late February, DiVincenzo shot 46% from the floor and 41% from downtown. 

It's not a stretch to assume the heavy workload is taking a toll. Remember, this is a guy who came off the bench last season and the first couple of months of 2023-24. He's never averaged more than 27 minutes a game over an entire season. DiVincenzo is now being asked to serve as the team's primary offensive option with Jalen Brunson sidelined.