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. The Hawks also stand as one of the hottest teams in basketball, winning seven of their last eight games entering the semifinals. They earned the right to face the Knicks in the knockout round by surprisingly winning their group through pool play wins over Eastern Conference leaders Boston and Cleveland.

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

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).

Johnson and top pick Zaccarie Risacher (the hero of the team's prior meeting in November) shot a combined 3-of-16 from the field while Young, the NBA's assist leader, was limited to two helpers while a shutdown of his passing lanes led to three turnovers. The lead held steady until the middle stages of the third, when the Garden spotlight once again shined on Young.

Trailing 66-62 after a Towns tip, Young gave Atlanta an instant and permanent lead with a speedy, personal 8-0 run that flipped the script. The Hawks' lead was up to nine by the end of the frame, as they won the period by a 34-18 final. Between his personal sinks, assists, and rebounds, Young had a direct hand in all but 10 of the tallies.

Frustrated by the sudden change of events and frustrations with the officials (particularly a painful Miles McBride encounter with Vit Krejci that forced the former to the locker room), the Knicks were unable to re-establish any form of control and never got any closer than six the rest of the way. A Josh Hart triple gave New York hope but one last speedy run (10-2 capped off by a Hunter triple) officially broke Manhattan's will, dooming them to an NBA quarterfinal loss for the second time in as many editions.

Young relished the Garden's jeers as time expired, heralding the Knicks' elimination by pretending to roll dice on the midcourt logo as time expired. The point guard, best known for his five-game masterpiece against the Knicks in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs, improved to 7-14 against New York in the regular season.

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Despite Towns' early showcase, the Knicks were bullied on the boards again, losing by 11 in a second half that saw their new star reduced to a spectator at crucial points due to foul trouble. There were certainly plenty of opportunities to go after the ball, as the Knicks shot an anemic 11-of-42 from three-point range. Leading scorer Josh Hart was 3-of-5 en route to 21 points but that wasn't enough to salvage a night where OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson were a combined 4-of-20.

The Hawks hardly took advantage (9-of-31 from three, 14 second chance points) but ate away at the New York comeback by denying them extra possessions: the 22 offensive rebounds the Knicks let up (five each to leaders Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu, the latter picking up a double-double off the bench) were their most in a single home game since March 2011.

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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