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Hawks win on road; Knicks’ skid hits five
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
NEW YORK — The Atlanta Hawks posted their first road victory of the season, defeating the New York Knicks 91-85 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Paul Millsap led Atlanta (3-3) with a season-high 19 points.
The Knicks (2-6) dropped their fifth straight game. They entered the game tied for last in the league in scoring, averaging 92 points per game.
Atlanta lost at Toronto, San Antonio and Charlotte before winning at New York, completing a home-and-home sweep of the Knicks. It defeated New York 103-96 on Nov. 8 in Atlanta.
Millsap, a power forward, was 6 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the line. He had three of Atlanta’s seven steals.
“Finding a way to win on the road is obviously very difficult in this league,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. “If you’re going to be a good team in this league, you have to win on the road.”
Forward Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Guard Kyle Korver added 17 points and center Al Horford contributed 12 points for the Hawks.
Iman Shumpert scored in double figures for the seventh straight game for New York. The shooting guard tossed in 18 points and is averaging 15.8 points this month.
The Knicks trailed 75-74 after an Anthony 16-foot jumper with 2:51 to play, but the Hawks used a 6-0 burst to move ahead 81-74 on a Dennis Schroder drive with 59 seconds remaining in the game.
Schroder, a reserve point guard, scored 12 of his career-high 14 points in the fourth quarter. Schroder, a second-year guard from Germany, burned the Knicks for 11 points on Saturday in Atlanta.
With the Hawks clinging to a three-point lead, Schroder knocked down a jumper with 1:55 to play, then followed with the aforementioned layup.
“I thought Dennis (Schroder) was playing very well all night,” Budenholzer said. “He gave us a big boost in the first half. Second half he gave us a big boost. Defensively, he had a presence on the ball and it was getting in the paint and cresating problems either finishing for himself or creating open shots.
“That’s why you have a bench and why you have depth.”
Korver’s 3-pointer ignited a 7-3 run for the Hawks with 5:26 left in the third quarter and a 60-54 lead. The shooting guard had eight points in the quarter, helping Atlanta to a 64-59 cushion.
The score was tied seven times in the second quarter as neither team shot particularly well. Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 3-pointer with 39 seconds left in the half tied the score at 38. The second-year pro scored all of his seven points in the second quarter.
Atlanta, a normally good-shooting 3-point squad, made just 4 of 14 shots from beyond the arc in the first half.
The Hawks closed the first quarter on an 8-2 run in the last 3:02 en route to a 17-16 edge. Horford led Atlanta with six points in the quarter.
“I think it’s early in the season for sure to learn how to finish and close games,” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “A lot of times it takes a group of five guys to become “that group” that will be on the court at the end of the fourth quarter.
“I told the guys tonight that I’m sorry that I can’t chalk up a ‘W’ for them with the kind of effort that they are giving.”
NOTES: Hawks G Kyle Korver moved into 19th place in NBA history in 3-pointers with his first-quarter trey. He has 1,530 in his career. … Beginning with Monday’s game against Atlanta, the Knicks play a season-tying four straight games at Madison Square Garden. … Atlanta F/C Adreian Payne missed his fourth straight game because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. … Hawks C Elton Brand is one of 10 players in NBA history to accumulate at least 15,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, 2,000 assists and 1,500 blocks. … Knicks G Jose Calderon missed his sixth straight game with a strained right calf. … Knicks C Andrea Bargnani hasn’t appeared in a game this season because of a sore right hamstring. … Knicks president and GM Phil Jackson addressed the media before the game, saying “I think the coaching staff has done a great job. I see growth in this team and I’m optimistic.”
