Young gets last laugh as Hawks oust Knicks in NBA Cup
NEW YORK – Trae Young was booed before the game tipped off. After the final buzzer, Young had the last laugh as the modern-day “Knicks Villain” struck again at Madison Square Garden.
Young scored 22 points and dished out 11 assists as the Atlanta Hawks eliminated the New York Knicks 108-100 Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) in the Emirates NBA Cup.
It was on this iconic Garden floor of the world’s famous arena in 2021 when Young’s star turn happened at the Knicks’ expense. He bowed to the infuriated home crowd after the Hawks dismantled the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs and became the next great Knicks Villain after Reggie Miller in the ‘90s.
Young rekindled that moment with a new taunting celebration.
Taunted by the sold-out Garden crowd with “F*ck Trae Young” chants throughout the game, the Hawks star returned the favor by rolling an imaginary dice at the center court logo while dribbling the clock out to celebrate another big win against the Knicks.
Trae Young rolled the dice on the Knicks logo ????
— ESPN (@espn) December 12, 2024
Next stop: Las Vegas ???? pic.twitter.com/M707Rgvl0W
“We should win the game if we don’t want [Young] to do that,” Brunson told reporters after the loss.
Brunson had a big hand in the Knicks’ second-half meltdown as he played a sub-par game. Dyson Daniels’ defense limited Brunson to just 14 points on a rough 5-of-15 shooting.
As Brunson took a nosedive, Young soared in the second half.
Young drilled 12 points in the third quarter, including a personal 8-0 run to wipe out a 66-62 Knicks lead. De’Andre Hunter, who led Atlanta with 24 points off the bench, extended their run to 11-0 with a 3-pointer as the Hawks took command 73-66 and never looked back.
“He made tough plays,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Young. “He’s a great player. You have to guard him with your team.”
The Knicks were able to do so for the most part, as Young shot 8-of-22 from the field. But their defense slipped in the third quarter.
Vastly improved Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson added 21 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.
The win bought the Hawks their ticket to Las Vegas, where they will face the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks in the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal game on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).
Josh Hart paced the Knicks in scoring with 21 points, which was a tell-tale sign that the Knicks offense wasn’t right on this night.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 19 rebounds, but he was the only double-digit rebounder for the Knicks, who were hammered on the boards.
Atlanta outrebounded New York 58-49. The Hawks were plus-10 on the offensive glass.
“They shot 40% [from the field] and we shot 43%, but the second and third shot was the problem,” Thibodeau said.
The Hawks had nine more attempts from the field due to winning the offensive rebounding battle, which they took advantage of and made three more shots than the Knicks, which ultimately spelled the difference.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for Heavy.com.
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