Karl-Anthony Cities is starting to warmth up, all however one of many Knicks’ younger prospects are making strides within the first 12 months of head coach Mike Brown’s tenure, and Captain Clutch saved the day as soon as once more.
The three storylines have been on show within the Knicks’ 128-125 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, a recreation they performed with out Josh Hart, who missed the outing with a sprained proper ankle sustained in New York’s Christmas Day victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hart missed his third recreation of the season after battling again spasms to open the season. He didn’t accompany the group on New York’s three-game street journey, which may also function pit stops in New Orleans and San Antonio, and will likely be re-evaluated when the Knicks return house, based on a league supply.
With out Hart, Cities dominated the glass towards the seven-footer-less Hawks, ending with a game-high 36 factors on 8-of-15 taking pictures from the sector to go together with 16 rebounds and one flashy, over-the-head dime to a reducing Mikal Bridges. It’s the second time in his final three video games that Cities has scored at the least 36 factors. The All-Star huge man additionally posted 40 factors on 14-of-24 taking pictures from the sector and three-of-six taking pictures from downtown within the Knicks’ Dec. 23 loss in Minnesota, a recreation the the Knicks sat Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby.
Whereas Cities began sizzling, Brunson closed the present, scoring six straight factors in crunch time to maintain the Hawks at bay. Brunson completed with 34 factors on 15-of-29 taking pictures from the sector.
The Knicks led the Hawks, 114-104, on the 7:24 mark of the fourth quarter earlier than ceding a 7-0 run that made it a one-possession recreation in crunch time. However Anunoby made the play of the sport with lower than 20 seconds on the clock, stealing an inbounds cross away from Hawks ahead Jalen Johnson, then turning down an open dunk to burn extra time without work the clock earlier than Atlanta deliberately fouled, the place he made each free throws to make it a three-point recreation.
Brown began rookie Mohamed Diawara instead of Hart, and the first-year wing logged 5 factors, 5 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in his 16 minutes on the ground. The larger moments from the tip of the bench got here from a second-round choose who maximized a uncommon alternative on a group loaded on the wings.
Kevin McCullar Jr. logged six complete minutes this season — 5 towards the Timberwolves on Tuesday and one in rubbish time of the NBA Cup quarterfinal victory over the Toronto Raptors — earlier than Brown threw him to the wolves in Atlanta on Saturday.
McCullar Jr. performed 23 minutes towards the Hawks and completed with 13 factors, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, making 4 of his seven makes an attempt from the sector and taking pictures three-of-six from behind the arc.
“Just staying ready until my number’s called, and happy we got the W,” McCullar mentioned in his walk-off interview after the sport. “That’s my big bro on the team for sure. His energy is contagious. I learned a lot from him last year. And I went out there trying to make plays, winning plays.”
The Knicks acquired McCullar Jr. at choose No. 56 within the 2024 NBA Draft within the draft night time deal that despatched choose No. 40, Oso Ighodaro, to the Phoenix Suns. He performed 30 complete minutes as a rookie after recovering from bone bruises in his left knee that restricted the tip of his collegiate profession at Kansas.
McCullar mentioned the younger gamers on the Knicks’ roster are responding to Josh Hart’s message that these gamers on the finish of the rotation have to be prepared in case of damage.
“We’ve got great veterans in the locker room,” he mentioned. “They always stay on us to be ready when our number’s called, and take advantage of it. Tonight I did.”
And all of the sudden, the Knicks could also be sitting on an alternative choice on the wing: They’re beginning Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges however are skinny behind them with each Landry Shamet and Miles McBride injured and undersized on the three.
Shamet is again to full on-court basketball actions and is progressing his approach in the direction of taking contact in observe. The Knicks are eagerly ready on his return, but it surely’s clear they’ve obtained younger gamers who’ll step up till his return.
