In the last game before indefinite NBA postponement of all games due to the CoronaVirus, the Knicks blew an 18-point 4th quarter lead but executed in overtime to beat Atlanta, in Atlanta — 136-131.
Randle & Barrett Come Up Big
It was a BIG game for Julius Randle (33 pts on 13-22, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists) and RJ Barrett (26 pts on 9-14, 2-5 from 3, 6-6 from the free throw line, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), who carried the Knicks, especially in the overtime session.
Barrett outdueled rookie counterpart Cam Reddish who had 11 pts on 5-13 shooting, (1-5 from 3) in 34 minutes off the bench.
RJ cookin' pic.twitter.com/7zjBZTZQs7
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 12, 2020
Mitch Set FG Pct Record?
And Mitchell Robinson was fantastic again (16 pts on 7-7 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks). He possibly finishes the season breaking the record for field goal percentage in a season, with .742, prompting him to tweet after the game.
Does this mean I broke the FG record for the season?👀
— Mitchell Robinson (@23savage____) March 16, 2020
.@23savage____ is a cheat code 🤯 pic.twitter.com/KiJFhH5f2b
— NEW YORK KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 9, 2020
Payton at the Point
Elfrid Payton had a terrific game — 4-8 shooting (3-4 from the free throw line) for 11 pts, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals but had 5 turnovers. He was gigged in the postgame analysis for not getting the ball to Randle on the final play of regulation, but instead penetrating and having the ball knocked away by Cam Reddish. Frank Ntilikina, coming off his best game as a Knicks when he scored 20 points, had a subpar shooting night — 1-7 for 8 points and a -10 in 23 minutes. He was not able to contain Trae Young in the 4th quarter.
Mitch is a movie 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/BeFEC7IVea
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 12, 2020
Trae Heroics
The Knicks started the 4th with an 18-point lead but then Trae Young got hot. He hit 7 of 9 in the quarter, including 4 three pointers, and went 9-10 from the free throw line — again in the 4th quarter alone. And of course he plays with a different set of rules — if you put a finger near him it is a foul. So Knicks guards had to play with their hands by their sides when guarding him. Young hit nothing but net on a 3-pointer launched from center court and then after a Julius Randle miss, Young drove the length of the court and hit a banker high off the backboard to tie the game at 118 with 15.3 seconds left.
SEND IT TO OVERTIME, ICE TRAE! pic.twitter.com/u6gUbWNv3V
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 12, 2020
Young finished with 42 pts on 12-25 shooting and 12-15 from the free throw line. He had 11 assists but 6 turnovers.
Knicks Win Season Series
It was the 3rd matchup between the 2 teams this season — the Knicks won the first matchup in a laugher; the next game was the blown victory and double overtime loss in February; this time it was a victory against 20-47 Atlanta in OT.
- Dec 17 — NY 143 Atlanta 120 at MSG — Knicks Crush Hawks
- Feb 9 — Atlanta 140 NY 135 in 2 OT at Atlanta — “This Close”
- March 11 — NY 136 Atlanta 131 in OT at Atlanta
Maurice Harkless had his best game as a Knick — 6-13 shooting for 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and a +10. Kevin Knox had a nice game — 3-7 shooting (3-3 from 3) for 12 pts in 16 minutes.
For Atlanta
For Atlanta, John Collins had 22 pts and 15 rebounds, and De’Andre Hunter had 15 pts on 5-12 shooting, and Jeff Teague had 15 pts off the bench.
Etcetera
As mentioned at the top, the game was played under the knowledge that the NBA was about to postpone the rest of its season after Rudy Gobert tested positive for Coronavirus. So although it was a good game, CoronaVirus dominated the aura of the game and conversation afterwards.
The Knicks are 4-3 in the 7 games before the CoronaVirus break or end of season, whichever it becomes.
If the season has ended — then this final game by RJ Barrett was huge for his stats — 9-14 shooting & 6-6 from free throw line.
- His field goal pct went from .397 to .402 (finishing over .400).
- His free throw pct went from .605 to .614.
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