It looked like an early production of Holiday Hangover Part II.
The Hawks staggered out of the gates the day after Christmas against the Knicks — much as they did against the Bucks last season in their worst loss. However, the Hawks turned an early 15-point deficit into a runaway victory, 117-98. They led by as many as 22 points Saturday night at Philips Arena.
The Hawks (20-12) have won six consecutive and surpassed the 100-point mark in each of the victories. They have won both games against the Knicks this season, a team they will see twice more in the next 10 days.
The Knicks (14-17) suffered their third consecutive loss.
The Hawks have a two-game trip at the Pacers and Rockets on Monday and Tuesday and then play road-home back-to-back games with the Knicks on Jan. 3 and Jan. 5.
Here are the key players and five observations on the game:
Three key players
Paul Millsap: The forward was a beast, with 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He has scored 20 or more points 14 times this season.
Mike Scott: The forward had his best offensive night of the season, scoring 18 points.
Carmelo Anthony: The Knicks star finished with 18 points, after scoring nine in the first quarter.
Five observations
1. Great Scott
Mike Scott has become a regular part of the Hawks’ rotation off late. He certainly is making his case to stay. Coach Mike Budenholzer recently credited Scott’s defense for his increased playing time. However, the forward’s shooting touch was back big time Saturday. He had season highs in points (18) and field goals made (7). He did not miss until the final seconds, making his first seven field-goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, and both free-throw attempts until his last attempt late in the fourth quarter.
2. Return to earth
After a torrid-shooting first half, the Knicks fell back to earth. Hard. They made just one of their first nine shots in the third quarter. The Hawks went on a 19-8 run to start the period and turn their early deficit into a 10-point lead, 81-71. They would lead by as many as 12 points in the quarter and ended with an 87-75 advantage. The Knicks shot a woeful 19 percent (4 of 21) in the decisive quarter.
3. Hawks’ second-quarter run
After spotting the Knicks a 15-point lead, the Hawks got as close as three points twice in the second quarter. They pulled within 41-38 on Scott’s ninth point of the quarter. After falling behind by 14 points, the Hawks closed with a 17-6 run to pull within 63-60 at the intermission. Jeff Teague made a buzzer-beating 3-point to close the half. Teague and Scott scored nine points each and Paul Millsap scored seven in the Hawks’ 38-point quarter.
4. Hot-shooting Knicks
The Knicks started with some hot-shooting. The Knicks made 8 of their first 10 shots. They Hawks made just 2 of their first 10 shots. The Knicks built a 15-point advantage, 23-8, in the first quarter. They finished the period shooting 64 percent (14-of-22, 3-of-6 from 3-point range). The Knicks ended the first half shooting 66 percent (27-of-41, 5-of-10 from 3-point range).
5. Splitter injured
Tiago Splitter suffered a right leg injury and played only four minutes. He left with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter with two points and one rebound. The reserve center had right lower leg muscle soreness. At the time, the Hawks listed his return as questionable. Splitter missed seven games with a right hip injury earlier this season.
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