Knicks keep Trae Young in check when it matters most for hard-fought win over rival Hawks
NY Post
This time, Trae Young rolled snake eyes.
The Knicks got revenge on the Hawks and their nemesis on MLK Day, with Young going ice-cold down the stretch and stifled by Mikal Bridges in New York’s 119-110 gut-check victory.
“It was a big win for us,” said Jalen Brunson, who led all scorers with 34 points.
The matinee represented the first game against the Hawks since Young beat the Knicks on Dec. 16, and infamously pretended to roll dice on the MSG midcourt logo. That game and moment served as an indictment on the lack of toughness and identity from these Knicks compared to last season’s squad.
In a different time, in a season to come, we may be inclined to wax poetic about the way this one played out. In a different time, in a season to come, the Nets will be seeking to stack wins and not losses, will be fighting for playoff seeding and not for a few extra ping-pong balls in the draft lottery this spring.
The NBA has an All-Star Game problem. Despite Adam Silver’s efforts to inject juice into the February showcase — including a format alteration to the 2025 game that is too confusing to attempt to understand before it’s inevitably changed again — there’s little interest in watching teams eschew defense for a series of layup line highlights. That also means the most entertaining part of the NBA All-Star Game is just like the Pro Bowl — debating over who should get a spot.