N.Y. Knicks: Surging Fourth

From the desk: KICKIN' CANS DOWN 33RD STREET WITH JIMMY

KNICKS   113

HAWKS   108

FINAL

Coach Thibodeau and the Time Bandits were at it again ...

Picking up where I left off, Monday's starting five averaged 34 minutes, but only because Julius Randall clocked in at 43 minutes and R.J. Barrett punched in at game-high 44 minutes.  Employing a tight eight-man rotation, Austin Rivers played 33 minutes off the bench.

Despite shooting 0 for 5 from the arc, Julius Randall led the Knicks with a team-high 28 points and a game-high 17 rebounds and nine assists in a five-point margin of victory over the Hawks at Atlanta.  Through seven games this season, Randall has scored 25 or more on four occasions.  The other big "timer" joined Randall in posting double-doubles.  Shooting a similar 1 for 5 from long range, RJ Barrett scored 26 points and secured eleven rebounds.  Immanuel Quickley was 4/7 from the field and 6/6 from the line for sixteen points in nineteen minutes off the bench.  

Kevin Knox II finished with six points but perhaps none more important than his three from the left corner at the third-quarter buzzer to cut the Knicks deficit to four.  

The Knicks then went on to outpace the Hawks 29-20 in the fourth quarter.  For the game, they outrebounded the Hawks by a margin of five, blocked six shots, and instigated nine steals.  

Ever since the season opener when they yielded 121 points against Indiana, the Knicks have since held opponents to 110 points or less in each of their last six games.  In fact, if you omit the opening game against the Pacers, the Knicks have yielded an average of just 102.5 points per game over their last six.

The Knicks are now 3-2 on the road and off to a 4-3 start in this young season.

• NEXT: Jazz at MSG on Wednesday