Hardaway steps up with 34 in return to lineup
ATLANTA — As the Knicks prepared Wednesday morning for their meeting with the Hawks that night, they got a visit from Bernard King, one of the greatest scorers in franchise history.
And maybe some part of his message led to what was to follow as one game after putting together a disjointed offensive effort the Knicks managed to hang on for a 112-107 win. Or maybe, more likely, it was the return of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the lineup or a chance to face a porous Hawks defense that accounted for the step forward.
Hardaway, who sat out Monday’s double overtime loss to the Bulls with lower back pain, returned to the starting lineup Wednesday and poured in 15 of his 34 points in the third quarter as the Knicks turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 14-point lead.
Then, with the game getting away from them, the lead down to four, Hardaway spun through the lane, drawing a foul and converting a pair of free throws against his former team with 1:49 left to push the lead back to 104-98. He drove for a layup 26 seconds later to secure the lead. After getting a shot blocked with 38.7 seconds left, after a timeout Emmanuel Mudiay bounced in a short jumper.
“It was a struggle just to watch,” Hardaway said of Monday’s loss. “But hey, it comes with the job. It’s next man up. And I’m happy with how they competed. I was happy just to go out there and not be able to play, but go out there, show some leadership, show some support and just make sure they’re staying positive throughout this whole entire process. I know it’s tough. But at the same time, it’s next man up. And I think they did a good job with that.”
Knicks coach David Fizdale said that King was his idol as a kid and he made sure to have him spend time with rookie Kevin Knox. That may not have had an immediate impact as Knox, in his second game back from a sprained ankle, was scoreless, missing all six of his field goal attempts.
The Knicks held Trae Young, who entered the game averaging 19 points, without a point in the first half as he missed his only three field goal attempts. Frank Ntilikina, who was hounding him the length of the court, managed to score 11 points in the half after going scoreless himself Monday against Chicago.
Ntilikina didn’t score again until connecting on a three-point field goal with 5:43 to play and the Knicks desperately needed it as the Hawks cut a 16-point lead down to four. Just 16 seconds later though, Ntilikina fouled out.