Breaking Down Knicks Late-Game Collapse vs. Hawks

In a stunning collapse, the New York Knicks fell to the Atlanta Hawks in a 108-100 loss to be eliminated in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The Knicks, who led by as many as 12 points, ended up squandering the lead and trailed by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter.

There’s no way around New York’s performance, as it gave up 61 points in the second half, losing the third-quarter battle 34-18. There’s a lot to unpack from the Knicks’ defensive play, but first, the offense needs to be analyzed.

Atlanta played spectacular defense on the Knicks, and the matchup of Dyson Daniels guarding Jalen Brunson went in full favor of the Australian. Brunson finished with just 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, being forced into some tough shots.

New York still got solid offensive production in the first half and the fourth quarter, it was just that third quarter that hurt the team. On top of that, the Knicks’ defense was nothing short of putrid.

The Hawks grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, 11 coming in the fourth quarter. Within on possession, Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu managed to each grab an offensive board.

Karl-Anthony Towns was the only true force on the glass for the Knicks, grabbing 19 rebounds. Precious Achiuwa, New York’s assumed backup center in the absence of Mitchell Robinson, had just five. It’s evident that the Knicks need center depth.

Perhaps the biggest problem with New York’s fourth-quarter defense was the inability to play smart. The Knicks would repeatedly send a double team toward Trae Young, who would continuously find Clint Capela or De’Andre Hunter cutting on the backside.

That play killed the Knicks multiple times, and there was no adjustment. Combine that with the offensive rebounds and you have a fourth-quarter meltdown on defense.

The final problem with New York’s defense last night was the late rotations. The Hawks were taking full advantage of the Knicks when it came to off-ball movement, getting past defenders on the cut and even on this play, where Josh Hart is just late to pick up Johnson in transition. Just clear miscommunications.

The only positive is that these problems are so easily fixable. Most of the lapses in the game were Basketball 101, just being able to stay with a player and not let them get ahead of steam off the ball. However, the defense has been a constant issue for the Knicks all season long, and the loss to Atlanta was discouraging.

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