Knicks 113, Hawks 108: Scenes from that over-.500 feeling

Oh, you’re saying your favorite NBA team isn’t over .500? Sorry dude...can’t relate.

The Knicks were floundering in the third quarter against NBA Twitter’s favorite up-and-coming power, the Atlanta Hawks. ATL built a comfy 13-point lead and Elfrid Payton was taking way more shots than Elfrid Payton ever should. It was, in short, not a formula for success.

Suddenly, head coach Tom Thibodeau had a revelation. The Hawks were dominating with Trae Young, but what if the Knicks countered with their own diminutive guard with a penchant for getting buckets and drawing questionable fouls? Enter Immanuel Quickley.

The rookie sensation played the rest of the game as New York stormed back for the 113-108 victory. Quickley finished with 16 points on 4-7 shooting, and even gave Trae a taste of his own medicine.

The Knicks were led, yet again, by Julius Randle, who notched an impressive 28 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists. His biggest bucket of the night was a put-back to help push the lead to 6.

RJ Barrett had his second strong game in a row, dropping 26 points (10-19 shooting), 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and no turnovers.

Austin Rivers played big fourth-quarter minutes yet again in place of Reggie Bullock. He continues to hit big shots.

All credit to Thibs for scrapping his beloved starting lineup when it was proving ineffective.

What a win! Benny will have the recap.