Knicks take double-digit lead, then fall apart against Hawks
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson looks on against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
As the pregame introductions were read off before the start of the game Wednesday at Madison Square Garden the sold-out crowd was mostly indifferent to the first four names called off by public address announcer Mike Walczewski. And then, before he could even get the words out, the boos loudly drowned out anything he said, a barely audible “six-foot-one from Oklahoma, Trae Young.”
There is no player who elicits a greater reaction at the Garden, maybe the boos and chants directed at him even louder than any cheers for the hometown Knicks. And there is no player who embraces it more than Trae Young.
The profane chants and the spitting incident that marked his earlier visits to the city were not heard this time, the 19,812 in attendance rejoicing in an early Knicks 23-point advantage and then groaning as it all fell apart and the Knicks were handed their third straight loss, this one a 112-99 defeat.
The worst Young got this time came in an accidental blow to his face when Julius Randle threw a pass and raked across his eye. He left the game, but reentered in the fourth quarter with goggles in place. Back on the court he got to celebrate, not his own exploits, but backcourt mate Dejounte Murray.
Young would finish with 17 points on just 7-for-21 shooting, but Murray carried the day with 36 points, six steals, nine assists and a blocked shot.
The Knicks led 51-28 with Young struggling through a 2-for-12 start to his night. But from there it all fell apart — thanks in a small part to Young, but mostly due to the play of Murray. From that point the Knicks were outscored 84-48.
Murray, who the Hawks obtained in an offseason deal — the same sort of deal that the Knicks were hunting, sending three-first round picks and Danilo Gallinari to San Antonio for him — had 18 points and three steals in the second quarter.
And in the third quarter the trouble really began. The Knicks were 0-for-9 from three with nine turnovers and were outscored 32-10, entering the fourth quarter down 89-75. When a brief Knicks flurry cut the deficit to 10 midway through the fourth Murray buried a three and the Knicks called time with Young flexing to the crowd.
“We didn’t close out that second quarter the way we wanted to,” said Jalen Brunson who led the Knicks with 20 points. “We were up 23 or whatever it was, and they obviously cut that down. We were easing our way into the second half, and they were putting their foot to the pedal. They were going 100 miles an hour, and we were going 50. We got to do better at that point.”
“It’s compounded,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’re missing shots. They’re pushing the ball up the floor. And so, if you’re giving them easy buckets the other way, they’re going to make up ground quickly, and they did. They’re athletic. They’re fast. I thought initially we matched up well; then we didn’t.”
There have been players who thrived in the villain role at Madison Square Garden. Reggie Miller lived it and loved it, spending years frustrating John Starks to a boiling point. And Young has stepped onto the stage playing the role to perfection.
“Trae feeds off of that,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “He’s a big moment player. You come to the Garden it’s a big moment, it’s a big place to play. All the good players I think in the league look forward to coming here and playing and playing well.”
After the playoff series two seasons ago — meeting the profane chants with All-Star performance — Young returned last season one time, sitting out the Christmas Day game. When he did play on March 22, he picked up where he left off, pouring in 45 points to beat the Knicks. Still, this time it was Murray who was the show.
“Where I’m from, this is a blessing to me, to play in NBA arenas in general,” Murray said. “It’s really a blessing and I thank God before I play. Obviously, New York and the Garden are legendary. I got people from Harlem that I love, and we always talk about New York and the Garden, so it’s only right to come out and have some fun.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
