Knicks' NBA Cup Dream Ends vs. Atlanta

An old enemy ended the New York Knicks' dreams of in-season glory.

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) and center Clint Capela (15) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks' dreams of Las Vegas turned out to be a bust.

New York led by seven at halftime and by as much as 12 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden but that was far from enough to clip the Atlanta Hawks, who earned a 108-100 victory in the two sides' NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup.

With the win, Atlanta (14-12) secures the latter Eastern ticket to Las Vegas, as they'll face the Milwaukee Bucks in Saturday's semifinal action.

Lasting Knicks enemy Trae Young had 22 points and 11 assists while De'Andre Hunter led all red scorers off the bench with 24. Jalen Johnson had 21 points and 15 assists rebounds while falling three assists short of a triple-double, forcing the Knicks to waste a dominant showing from Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 19 points and boards each.

Spurred on by eight consecutive Atlanta misses at the onset, the Knicks (15-10) led for the entire first half, partly fueled by a dominant 24 from Towns (10 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, a trio of blocks and steals each).

Denied a visit to Sin City, the Knicks now face a de facto Eastern Conference consolation game against the Orlando Magic on Sunday evening (6 p.m. ET, MSG).

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