Julius Randle put up a monster game tonight as the Knicks beat the Hawks 113-108, finishing with 28 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists on 11/19 shooting. And shooting guard R.J. Barrett put up 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals. But a Knicks rookie stepped up and helped secure the win. Via New York Newsday:
Tom Thibodeau has a well-deserved reputation for a fondness for veterans and even as he has taken over a Knicks squad that is among the youngest in the NBA, he still often leans on the players who have been there.
And it seemed a case in point Monday as he rode Elfrid Payton for much of the game as the Knicks were taking on the Atlanta Hawks in the last stop of a four-game road trip. But with 3:51 to play in the third Payton had already played nearly the entire game and the point guard had thrown up more shots than anyone in the game – and missed more than any, too, missing 12 of 18 to that point, playing no small part in the 11-point hole the team found itself.
So Thibodeau turned to rookie Immanuel Quickley, who had played just three minutes and 38 seconds in the game. And almost immediately the game turned, the Knicks closing to a four-point deficit by the end of the quarter and needing just minutes to push in front in the fourth quarter. And Quickley then put the Knicks ahead to stay with clutch free throws as he delivered time after time and the Knicks escaped with a 113-108 win over the Hawks, taking their third victory on the trip.
Quickley scored 16 points — 15 in the final 16 minutes — and showed that Thibodeau could have faith in rookies, too.
