*Best Win of the Season

*for now (but boy, was this good).

Goooooooood Morning!

Was that a journey or was that a journey?

Game 11: Knicks 116, Hawks 114

Let’s GOOOOOOO.

In a New York minute…

Once again playing without RJ Barrett (migraines), the Knicks got off to a hot start behind Julius Randle, who replicated last season’s trend of scintillating first quarter performances with 14 in the opening frame. After leading by as many as 13, New York’s offense and defense both got sloppy, and they led by just one at the break. Some big third quarter threes from their stars gave the Knicks another cushion, but a 20-7 Hawks run to start the fourth had the road team on life support. Following a timeout by Tom Thibodeau, New York closed the game with a renewed purpose. Thanks to several big plays by everyone on the court, the Knicks scored 22 points over the final 5:07 to win the most exciting game of the young season.

Three Things

1. Gritty, gutty win. The Knicks didn’t deserve a W. Not on this night, they didn’t.

They did all the things you’re not supposed to be able to do on the road if you want to come out with a win. Between the start of the second and the five-minute mark of the fourth, they turned the ball over 17 times. They put the other team on the line 26 times - 15 more times than they went there themselves (although an iffy whistle had something to do with that). They stopped hitting shots when it mattered most, converting just two field goals in nearly seven minutes to open the fourth quarter. They fouled a 3-point shooter when they were up three with under 90 seconds to go. They even committed a late five-second violation when simply inbounding the ball would have sealed the deal.

And despite all that, through sheer force of will from their most important players, they found a way to get a victory. Down RJ Barrett for the game and missing Quentin Grimes for most of the fourth after he sustained a hand injury fouling Bogdan Bogdanovic (severity still unknown), Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart, and the indomitable Mitchell Robinson came up with one huge play after another.

Good teams find a way to win games they’re not supposed to.

Last night, the Knicks reminded us that while they may not always be perfect, they’re more than capable of coming up big when it counts.

2. Injuries piling up? Hopefully, this bullet point looks ridiculous within 48 hours, and Quentin Grimes hand will be fine and RJ Barrett will be over whatever has been ailing him.

But at the moment, for the first time this season, the Knicks might be facing a genuine injury bug.

Even without Grimes and Barrett, they should have enough to find success in the next two games, a back-to-back against the cellar-dwelling Wizards and Hornets. Still, this is a team whose depth is its strength. We’ll find out what they’re really made of if that depth takes a real hit.

3. Those last five minutes… were as exhilarating (and nerve-wracking) a stretch of basketball as you will ever see. It’s why we watch. Let’s go through it in detail once more for good measure…