Julius Randle and RJ Barrett wore the night and charged with over 40 minutes each and combined for 54 points.
But rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley, in his third NBA game, and veteran Austin Rivers, carried the Knicks home in the fourth quarter as they took a 113-108 road win in Atlanta to end their four-game trip at 3-1. .
Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks are now a 4-3 winning ball club – by far the most popular NBA team in New York after winning four of their last five games.
Just like his dexterity, Quickley made a huge mistake with three shots with 2:34 left. He took all three free throws when he finished with 16 points in 19 minutes and played almost the entire fourth quarter scoring 10 points.
Rivers, in his recent closer role, hit a massive 3-pointer with less than a minute to go, then pulled an attack on Trae Young.
Randle scored 12 points in the first quarter, finishing with 28 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, losing a platter to a triple-double to continue his All-Star caliber season. The Hawks were the first team not to double up on the Knicks’ rising star.
RJ Barrett was great 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 took a hit when Nerlens Noel was ruled out with an ankle sprain. Noel was not on the injury report.
That forced Randle into big minutes (43). With Randle dominating inside and the Knicks attacking the rim, the club dominated the paint. Twelve of their first 14 points were covered. The Knicks starters built an early 24-14 with a wonderful feed from Payton to Barrett for a quick dunk, with the Knicks moving up 10.
Asked why he stayed with Quickley in the fourth, Thibodeau said:
‘He can shoot. Exactly the way he approaches the game, attitude, approach. He has that one skill that opens everything. Every day he gets better and better. If you are as intelligent as him, he picks things up quickly. We were searching and struggling and found a group and driving it. ”
Scored quickly on a floater to start the fourth quarter, making it 88-86. He finished 4th of 6 of the field, 2 of 3 of the 3-point line and 6 of 6 of the line.
The Knicks were 15 behind before rallying in the last 1:30 of the third quarter. Kevin Knox hit a 3 pointer for his first bucket of the night. Quickley was strikingly blew through former Duke Cam Reddish for a lay-up. And then Knox hit another 3 – a buzzer-beater from the corner, then raised his arms in the air to celebrate the Knicks taking an 88-84 lead.