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Julius Randle and RJ Barrett carried the night and the load with each playing over 40 minutes and combining for 54 points.
But rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley, in his third NBA game, and veteran Austin Rivers brought the Knicks home in the fourth quarter as they earned a 113-108 road victory in Atlanta to end their trip. of four games at 3-1. .
Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks are now a 4-3 winning ball club – by far the hottest NBA team in New York after winning four of their last five games.
As is his talent, Quickley drew a massive three-stroke foul with 2:34 left, winning all three free throws as he finished with 16 points in 19 minutes, playing almost the entire fourth quarter over. from which he scored 10 points.
Rivers, in his recent role of closer, hit a whopping 3-pointer with less than a minute left, then drew a charge on Trae Young.
Randle scored 12 points in the first quarter and finished with 28 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, falling a flat before a triple-double, to continue his All-Star season. The Hawks were the first team not to overtake the emerging Knicks star.
RJ Barrett was formidable with 26 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 44 minutes as the Knicks recovered from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter.
The Knicks have little depth with Obi Toppin and Omari Spellman and received a heavy blow when Nerlens Noel was ruled out with a sprained ankle. Noel was not on the injury report.
This forced Randle to step into the major minutes (43). With Randle dominating on the inside and the Knicks attacking the rim, the club dominated the paint. Twelve of their first 14 points were in the paint. The Knicks rookies built a 24-14 start, capped by a nice flow from Payton to Barrett for a quick-breaking dunk, the Knicks put in 10.
When asked why he stayed with Quickley in the fourth, Thibodeau said:
“He can shoot. Just the way he approaches the game, his attitude, his approach. He has this skill that opens everything. Every day he gets better and better. When you are as smart as him, he takes things fast. We were looking and struggling and found a group and rode with it. ”
Quickly scored on a float to start the fourth quarter, making it 88-86. He finished 4 of 6 on the field, 2 of 3 on the 3-point line and 6 of 6 on the line.
The Knicks fell 15 behind before rallying in the 1.30 hour final of the third quarter. Kevin Knox hit a 3 point for his first bucket of the night. Quickley was blown by former Duke, Cam Reddish, for a layup. And then Knox hit another 3 – a corner buzzer-beater after which he raised his arms in celebration as the Knicks took an 88-84 lead.
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