Julius Randle and RJ Barrett charged the night and charged with each playing more than 40 minutes and matching for 54 points.
But debutant point guard Immanuel Quickley, in his third NBA game, and veteran Austin Rivers, took the Knicks home in the fourth period, as they beat the 113-108 victory in Atlanta, ending their four-game trip in 3- 1 .
Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks are now a winning club with 4-3 – by far the hottest NBA team in New York, after winning four of their last five games.
As is his way, Quickley scored a great lack of three shots at 2:34 left, hitting all three free throws by finishing with 16 points in 19 minutes, playing almost the entire fourth period during which he scored 10 points.
Rivers, in his recent closest role, hit a huge 3-point basket with less than a minute to go, then hit Trae Young.
Randle scored 12 points in the first quarter and finished with 28 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, dropping a plate before a triple-double to continue his All-Star caliber season. The Hawks were the first team not to pair with the emerging star of the Knicks.
RJ Barrett was excellent with 26 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 44 minutes, while the Knicks recovered from a 15 point disadvantage in the third quarter.
The Knicks have little big-man depth with Obi Toppin and Omari Spellman out and suffered a blow when Nerlens Noel was eliminated with an ankle sprain. Noel was not on the injury report.
This forced Randle into the main minutes (43). With Randle dominating from the inside and the Knicks attacking the edge, the club dominated painting. Twelve of his first 14 points were in the painting. The Knicks holders built an early 24-14 crowned by a beautiful feed from Payton to Barrett for a quick attack dunk put the Knicks at 10.
Asked why he stayed with Quickley in the room, Thibodeau said:
“He can shoot. Precisely the way he approaches the game, attitude, approach. He has that ability that opens everything. Every day he is getting better and better. When you’re as smart as he is, he learns things quickly. We were looking and fighting and we found a group and we rode with it. ”
He quickly scored on a floater to start the fourth period, becoming 88-86. He finished 4 of 6 on the field, 2 of 3 on the 3-point line and 6 of 6 on the line.
The Knicks fell backwards by 15 before recovering in the final 1:30 of the third quarter. Kevin Knox hit a 3-point basket for his first bucket of the night. Quickley ran over Cam Reddish, ex-Duke, for a layup. And then Knox hit another 3 – a buzzer-beater in the corner after which he raised his arms in celebration when the Knicks took the lead 88-84.