A brief recap of the Hawks’ loss in their regular season home finale:
How the game was won: Atlanta played a spirited final 15 minutes, and four of five starters returned to the lineup after being given Sunday's game in Washington off, but that wasn't enough to keep the Eastern Conference's least successful team from beating the No. 1 playoff seed from the East.
All-Star power forward Paul Millsap missed his fifth straight game with a strained right shoulder and contusion, but the bigger problem for the Hawks (60-21) was their sieve-like defense through nearly three quarters.
Jeff Teague missed a potential game-tying runner with nine seconds left, and New York’s Jason Smith added two free throws to seal the game.
New York guards Langston Galloway (26 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (23) lit up Atlanta, and the Knicks (17-64) — who lag the entire NBA in scoring at 91.7 points per game — shot 55.8 percent (43-of-77).
Kyle Korver scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, when the Hawks forged an 87-all tie, and Teague added 19.
Turning point: After that tie, the Knicks made three consecutive 3-pointers to throw up another mountain for the Hawks to climb.
Numbers: 13. The Knicks hit 13-of-25 3-pointers.
Next: The Hawks will finish the regular season Wednesday night at Chicago.
