Julius Randle posted a double-double and scored 19 points in the third quarter Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who rolled to a 113-89 win over the undermanned Atlanta Hawks.
Randle finished with 34 points, two shy of his season high, and pulled down a season-best 17 rebounds.
Quentin Grimes contributed a season-high 23 points and shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range for the Knicks, who have won two straight. New York, which beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-81 on Sunday, hadn’t previously held an opponent under 100 points this campaign.
RJ Barrett added 15 points while Mitchell Robinson put up eight points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks.
Trae Young scored 19 points and Clint Capela had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who were without De’Andre Hunter (hip) and John Collins (ankle) on Wednesday even before second-leading scorer Dejounte Murray exited with a left ankle injury in the first quarter. Murray, who entered the night averaging 21.5 points per game, scored two points and didn’t attempt a field goal.
Onyeka Okongwu chipped in 10 points off the bench for the Hawks, who lost their second straight and fell for the fifth time in seven games.
Young opened the game with a basket to give the Hawks their lone lead. The Knicks led 31-20 after the first quarter and scored the first seven points of the second before Atlanta responded with a 17-0 run in which New York went 0-for-7 with two turnovers.
Grimes hit a 3-pointer to end the skid and start a 7-0 run for the Knicks, who scored 15 of the final 19 points in the second to take a 53-41 halftime lead.
The Hawks pulled within eight points three times in the third before Grimes drained consecutive 3-pointers to begin a quarter-ending 29-15 run for the Knicks, who carried an 89-67 lead into the fourth.
The Hawks got no closer than 20 points and the Knicks led by as many as 28 points in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
