|
|
Sparked by fan, Knicks clip Hawks in home opener
By Derrel Jazz JohnsonOctober 18, 2018
| SHARE |
Tim Hardaway Jr. exploded for 22 points in the first half, including 16 in the team’s record-breaking 49-point second quarter, as the New York Knicks cruised to a 126-107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night in the season opener at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
The Hawks, who tonight looked like the worst team in the NBA, took an early eight-point lead and led the Knicks by one point at the end of the first quarter. The Knicks then outscored the Hawks 49-25 in the second quarter, setting a new franchise record for points in that quarter and scored the second-most points for a Knicks team in any quarter.
What sparked the Orange and Blue?
A fan.
Seriously, a fan.
During a timeout, a fan hit a $10,000 shot, and it gave the team a jolt.
“Did you realize that fan hit that $10,000 shot," Bobby Childs of WBLS asked Knicks head coach David Fizdale after the game.
“I heard it man. I think that may have been the reason we turned the game around,” Fizdale responded.
Hardaway Jr. had similar sentiments after the game: “Yeah, I think that’s what sparked us as well,” he responded when asked about the timeout Fizdale took shortly before the fan’s $10,000 shot.
When a team needs a spark, it can apparently come from anywhere.
Knicks rookie Kevin Knox scored his first NBA points on a floater in the second quarter after missing his first four. He finished with 10 points on 4-16 from the field.
Rookie Mitchell Robinson made his first NBA bucket in the first quarter off a good pass by Ron Baker, before leaving the game after only a minute and 18 seconds worth of action with what is believed to be a minor injury.
Rookie Allonzo Trier, who we spoke to exclusively before and after the game, was excellent in 26 minutes off the bnech. He scored 15 points in his NBA debut, including a highlight monster dunk to end the third quarter that landed him at #4 in SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day. Not a bad debut for the rookie.
The Knicks travel to Brooklyn Friday to play the Nets before returning home on Saturday to host the talented Boston Celtics Saturday night.
Derrel Jazz Johnson is a New York City-based sports and entertainment reporter who just entered his ninth season covering the National Basketball Association. You can follow him on Twitter @JazzJohnson1 and Instagram @JazzJohnson10.