ATLANTA — The Knicks were already without RJ Barrett. Then they lost Quentin Grimes.
But their resiliency prevailed in Wednesday night’s 116-114 victory over the Hawks at State Farm Arena, thanks to a clutch shot from Jalen Brunson, an overall big night from Julius Randle, typically gritty rebounding from Mitchell Robinson and a head-scratching attempt from Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic.
“Just resilient,” said Randle, who scored a game-high 29 points. “Different guys stepping up at different moments, whether it was [Immanuel Quickley], whether it was Jalen, whoever needed to step up in the moment they did. It was a great team win.”
After Trae Young missed a potential tying free throw, Brunson, the crafty Knicks point guard, created space off the dribble and buried a midrange pull-up for a three-point edge with 19 seconds remaining.
The teams then traded baskets before Bogdanovic, bizarrely, airballed a contested and long 3-pointer with five seconds on the clock.
The Knicks followed with their own boneheaded moment — a five-second violation off the inbounds by Donte DiVincenzo — but Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray missed a free throw that essentially sealed the outcome.
Game over.
Tom Thibodeau excused DiVincenzo’s violation.
“I would say the count was a little tight. I just watched it so it is what it is,” the coach said. “You’re in the fourth quarter on the road and that’s what it’s going to be.”
The Knicks (6-5), despite a fourth-quarter hand injury to Grimes and the illness of Barrett, capitalized on the moment.
They trailed by seven with less than five minutes remaining before the offense — Brunson, in particular — awakened.
Randle shot 12-for-24 with 10 boards and eight assists. He also buried an important layup — courtesy of a nice dish from Brunson — with about 44 seconds left.
It felt like another step in the right direction for Randle, who reiterated that his comeback from offseason ankle surgery was never going to be instantaneous.
“I just loved how aggressive he was to start the game. You can see it,” Thibodeau said of Randle. “He’s feeling better and better. I knew his rhythm would come around, the way he could score the ball. His shot is grooved now. You can see it the way it’s coming off his hands, he’s shooting with a lot of confidence, too.”
Brunson, meanwhile, scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
It was an important win in the second game of a five-game road trip, with winnable matchups on the horizon against the terrible Wizards and Hornets.
“Teammates have confidence in me, the coaches have confidence in me, and I made plays at the right time,” Brunson said. “Quarters 2 and 3, I didn’t really do much and just wasn’t being myself. And then everyone had each other’s backs and talked me up and I was just ready to help close out the game, and we did a really good job of staying poised and finishing it.”
Grimes, the Knicks’ two-way backcourt starter, left in the fourth quarter with a left hand injury.
He tried to strip the ball from Bogdanovic with about 11 minutes left and almost immediately retreated to the locker room.
He was ruled out for the remainder of the game and didn’t come back to the bench.
A concern with those type of injuries is a fracture, but the Knicks did not release any information about an X-ray.
Barrett missed his second straight game with an “illness/migraine,” according to the injury report. Thibodeau only confirmed his small forward is “under the weather.”
Barrett was at the arena but never made it to the bench Wednesday.
Josh Hart started in Barrett’s spot and finished with nine points in 33 minutes. Mitchell Robinson grabbed 15 boards for the Knicks. Quickley added 20 point off the bench.
“Stayed poise, stayed confident in each other, had each other’s back,” Brunson said, “and found a way to win.”
Atlanta (6-5) was playing on the second night of a back-to-back but returned Young, who missed Tuesday’s victory over the Pistons following the birth of his daughter.
The point guard missed eight of his 12 shots but had 17 assists.
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