NEW YORK -- There were no fights at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, but there nonetheless was a thorough beating.
The Knicks pounded the Hawks 102-90 in the rematch after a fight broke out the previous time they met. There was little roughhousing this time, nor was there much resistance offered by the Hawks, who trailed by double digits for the entire fourth quarter.
It was the Hawks' first loss in three games against the Knicks, who lost to the Hawks in November and again at Philips Arena on Jan. 28. In the latter game, Hawks forward Marvin Williams and New York's Shawne Williams scuffled and afterward, Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire called out the Hawks' Al Horford in the media.
Hawks coach Larry Drew had hoped the hype surrounding the game would inspire his players, who have generally performed well in the spotlight.
"That has kind of been our M.O. thus far this year," Drew said before the game. "Probably deep down inside our guys are juiced up about it. But I certainly won't use it is a motivating tool. I think we have enough of a motivation to go out there and play a solid game."
The Hawks couldn't do it. They never slowed New York's potent combination of quick point guards, outside shooting and Stoudemire, who scored a game-high 23 points.
Horford, meanwhile, struggled to find his rhythm. He had 12 points and 11 rebounds but missed several face-up jump shots, which he normally makes at a high percentage.
Horford said Stoudemire, who had declared Horford "doesn't want to see me", didn't say anything to him during the game. He said his offensive struggles had more to do with a lack of touches (he was 6-of-12 from the field) than any desire to go at Stoudemire.
"That had nothing to do with it," he said. "Obviously they won the game and he played well, so they feel pretty good about it. We get to see them one more time in Atlanta [on March 6], so we'll see what happens then."
All five Hawks starters scored in double figures, but New York reserve Wilson Chandler (20 points) nearly matched the Hawks' bench scoring (21).
The Knicks were in control by the middle of the fourth quarter. The closest thing to a scuffle came after that.
After Knicks guard Raymond Felton was called for a personal and a technical, players from both teams came together under the Hawks' basket. Nothing physical happened, though, and order was restored.
The Pistons built a big halftime lead against Hawks reserves Monday before the Hawks starters returned to spark a comeback victory. This time the starters fell behind, the bench players made the hole deeper and the Hawks couldn't rally.
Down 11-10, the Knicks took control with a 13-3 run that included two layups, two dunks and a free throw. The Hawks, meanwhile, missed a handful of shots near the basket and trailed 26-19 after a quarter.
"We missed some easy ones," Drew said. "Then we started settling for outside shots. On the road, that can be your demise."
New York's lead swelled to 37-23 against a Hawks lineup that included reserves Mo Evans, Zaza Pachulia and Jamal Crawford. Atlanta's starters checked back in and immediately sparked an 8-0 run that cut the lead to 37-31.
The Hawks trailed only 52-45 at halftime despite and allowing the Knicks to shoot 53 percent from the field. The Hawks stayed in it by making six of 11 3-point baskets and scoring 12 points off seven Knicks turnovers.
But New York controlled the second half, leading by as many as 16 points in the third quarter. The Hawks pulled within 74-65 on Mike Bibby's 3-pointer, but Crawford, double-teamed along the baseline, missed a jump shot early in the shot clock. The Knicks took a 78-65 lead into the final period.
The Hawks trimmed the deficit to 78-68 on another Bibby 3-pointer, but that's as close as they would get. New York led by as many as 18 in the final period.
"Every time we tried to [rally], they made a big three or a big basket," Horford said. "It was demoralizing."
