The Hawks played serious basketball Tuesday night, but not a whole lot of it and all of it too late as a spirited rally was not enough to keep the Knicks from beating Atlanta for the second time in three days, this time 107-101.
Every Atlanta starter scored in double figures in Philips Arena, and Paul Millsap led the way with 19, but the Hawks (21-15) never led. They were disjointed for three-plus quarters before pushing the Knicks (17-19) around only to lose their second straight game to New York. Atlanta has dropped three of four overall.
Atlanta pulled within 103-101 on Dennis Schroder’s free throw with 40 seconds left in the game, but he missed the second and the Hawks were unable to overcome the 84-71 deficit they faced at the beginning of the quarter.
Again, shooting guard Arron Afflolo paced New York, scoring 23 points to match teammate Carmelo Anthony.
Afflolo fell well short of the 38 points he scored against Atlanta Sunday, but he hit back-to-back 3-pointers — his only long balls — to start the third quarter. That prompted Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer to call the first of three timeouts in the first four minutes of the second half.
The Knicks opened the third with a 19-8 run to lead by 16.
“We dug ourselves a hole to start the third quarter,” Budenholzer said. “We have to play better for more of the 48 minutes.”
Atlanta made a more serious push this time than last, making 15-of-39 from beyond the arc. Problem was, while New York made just 5-of-18 3-pointers, the visitors made 35-of-66 shots inside the arc, and outscored the Hawks by 10 from the free throw line to split the season series 2-2.
Here are the key players and five observations on the game:
Three key players
Arron Afflalo: So it wasn't a Hall-of-Fame night, but again he was a major pain in Atlanta's side. He made 9 of 16 shots, including both of his 3-pointers, for 23 points and added seven rebounds and four assists.
Kristaps Porzingis: Still question why the Knicks made the Latvian the No. 4 pick of the NBA draft? There's something going on when a guy who's 7-feet-3 plays largely like he's 6-6 AND uses his height to advantage at the right times. Porzingis scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Dennis Schroder: He played the final 20 minutes in place of starter Jeff Teague, who scored 16 points, but didn't register an assist. Schroder — who did not play by way of his coach's decision in Atlanta's last two games — tied Al Horford (13 points, 10 rebounds) with a team-high eight assists and added seven points.
Five observations
1. Not sharing
When you come in third in the NBA while averaging 25.1 assists per game, including at least 21 in 33 of 35 games, and then you have nine over the first 28 minutes with Teague in the game, there is numerical proof of offensive problems. The Hawks passed on the idea of passing to score for most of this game. Atlanta finished with 22 assists.
2. Testy times
Meeting for the second time in two days and the third time in 10, these teams were not thrilled to see each other. Millsap and Robin Lopez each received technical fouls early in the fourth quarter after a tangle, and Porzingis and Atlanta’s Kent Bazemore were each T-ed up later in the period.
3. Chipping away
The Hawks made it close in the fourth quarter, when Horford scored nine and Atlanta outscored the Knicks 12-6 in the paint as opposed to a 40-24 deficit over the first three periods. When Schroder missed that free throw, however, Anthony rebounded the the Knicks all but iced the game with 18 seconds left when Lopez found Jose Calderon cutting to the basket for a 105-101 lead.
4. Return from exile
Budenholzer explained that Schroder did not play in the past two games by saying that it was more about player development — for Shelvin Mack. But Mack didn’t play a second against the Knicks. The coach said he went with Schroder late for “aggression” and defense.
5. Ebb and flow
For all the recent talk about the Hawks’ inconsistent focus and energy, Tuesday was for more than three quarters all about those very traits. “We’re doing some good things out there, but we keep having mental lapses as a group, forgetting assignments, little things,” Horford said. “You have to be able to do those things consistently.”
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