The Knicks already missed center Mitchell Robinson, who may undergo hand surgery this week.
Their new starting center Nerlens Noel got three early errors. Taj Gibson backup center was tapped in the second quarter with four errors.
Atlanta took 25 free throws in the first half. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau briefly discussed his alternate plan to use Julius Randle in the center and rookie Obi Toppin as the power forward.
It is not an ideal formation, certainly not against Clint Capela from Atlanta, who finished with 15 points and 18 rebounds.
Fortunately for the Knicks, Noel returned to run a harrowing second half amid massive foul problems as the Knicks went 2-0 since Robinson’s injury.
In the third quarter, the Hawks ran to a 72-66 lead before the Knicks scored a 23-11 run. It was a run that helped Noel ignite as he made two straight blocks – one on Skylar Mays, the other on Kevin Huerter, the Albany native who struggled enormously (2 of 12).
“I was concerned,” said Thibodeau of the major problems facing his centers. “We talked about the way they make mistakes. It was called tight and we had to adjust. I loved Nerlens. It’s not an easy match. ”
The box score for Noel doesn’t necessarily sparkle, but he did all the gritty defensive work that allowed the Knicks to get through. And he did that by playing five fouls and taking his fifth with 8:36 left.
Noel scored six runs (3 from 3 off the field), added three blocks, two steals and four rebounds, and finished with a plus-17 in 27 minutes.
Gibson only scored one point in 16 minutes, but was gritty on a night when Toppin was mostly a non-factor in 11 minutes.
The Hawks’ Trae Young-led attack was thwarted in the fourth quarter of 28-22.
“The pick and roll coverage is huge when you play on that team,” said Thibodeau. “You have to commit to the ball and commit to come back, commit to rebound. It takes a lot of effort. You can’t relax for a second Capela puts you under pressure, [John] Collins puts pressure on you and Young is a burden to deal with. Those guys watched a lot of pick and rolls. Some we have defended extremely well. Some not as good as we wanted. But we had a tremendous effort from both centers. ”