Knicks Close Summer League on High Note vs. Hawks

The first Noel offered one last euphoric rush in the New York Knicks’ final Summer League Excursion of 2024.

Obadiah Noel led a reserve onslaught in the swan song for the baby Knicks, scoring a team-best 15 points in a 90-82 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. The Knicks’ prospects (3-2) thus ended their showcase on a high note, as the triumph in the consolation finale was their third in a row after dropping their first two.

With the finale status in mind, summer boss Dice Yoshimoto and his staff emptied their bench and the prospects took full advantage of their numbered windfall: all eight reserves that entered the game sank at least one shot from the field, paced by four each for Noel, Sam Cele, and Rokas Jokubaitis.

All but one had a positive plus/minus, with Jokubaitis leading the way at plus-18. In what likely stands as his final showing as a Knick until next summer, Jokubaitis also dished out five assists and pulled in five more rebounds. Headliner Tyler Kolek wasn’t able to replicate his scoring magic from earlier this week but he contributed to 12 of the Knicks’ 18 points in the first period with four of his own and three assists (part of a team-best six in 14 minutes in the latter category).

Atlanta (0-5) withheld top pick Zaccharie Risacher from action on Friday and failed to escape Sin City with a victory. Summer League veteran Keaton Wallace was the star attraction, coming one assist short of a double-double after leading all scorers with 23.

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