Knicks 90, Hawks 82: Despite slow start, Summerbockers finish Summer League with third straight win

Tonight, the New York Knicks (3-2) took on the Atlanta Hawks (0-5) in their final NBA Summer League appearance at the COX Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Atlanta, led by Dylan Windler and Keaton Wallace, took an early 20-9 lead, but New York finished the first quarter on a 9-1 run. At halftime, New York led 43-38, thanks to Rokas Jokubaitis who contributed seven points and four assists in the second quarter. New York continued their dominance in the third frame, and when the Hawks made a late push, reserves Obadiah Noel, Sam Cele and Alan Griffin performed admirably to close out the game. Final score: 90-82.

For the Knicks, Rokas led the way with 12 points, five assists, five rebounds and a team-high +18 (despite six turnovers). Fellow guard Tyler Kolek contributed six points, six dimes, two steals and zero turnovers; he also went 2-of-4 from downtown. Centers Ariel Hukporti (10 points, seven boards, 13 minutes) and Dmytro Skapintsev (nine points, four rebounds, 12 minutes) dominated their time against the Atlanta frontcourt. And Noel impressed, scoring 15 points and going 3-of-6 from downtown.

For the Hawks, Keaton Wallace had 23 points and nine assists, Jordan Bowden scored 16 points and Dylan Windler contributed 14.

First half

The Hawks, led by Dylan Windler and Keaton Wallace, jumped out to a 20-9 lead before the Knicks got a grip. New York would close out the first quarter on a 9-1 run. During the stretch, Tyler Kolek connected with Dmytro Skapintsev for two alley-oop dunks and made a 28-foot triple. New York would close out the quarter trailing 21-18.

Kolek played the entire first quarter, but not a minute of the second. During the second frame, New York’s Rokas Jokubaitis scored seven points and threw four dimes.

Here Rokas storms in for a dunk:

Here the feisty Lithuanian works hard for a smart score in the lane:

And here Jokubaitis takes advantage of a Hukporti screen to take an open three-pointer:

At halftime our heroes led 43-38. New York again struggled from the three-point line, making only 30%; fortunately Atlanta made only 29% of their three-pointers.

In the first half, Skapintsev led the Knicks with eight points and three rebounds off the bench. Starting center Ariel Hukporti had six points and a team-high five rebounds. In his six minutes, Tyler Kolek had six points, three assists and two steals. For the Hawks, Keaton Wallace led the team with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

Second half

New York built on their lead with a 13-8 start to the third quarter. By midway through the third frame, the Knicks had won the points in the paint, 30-14. The Hawks played sloppy, gave the ball away at a steady pace, and New York kept their lead around 10 points for much of the quarter. Here’s Knicks rookie Pacome Dadiet collecting his first points of the game after missing his previous four attempts:

In the second half, New York’s Amari Kelly, Alan Griffin, Kamani Johnson, Obadiah Noel and Sam Cele came into action when Kolek, Rokas, Dadiet and Skapintsev were forced out early. The Knicks went into the final period with a 67-60 lead.

The Hawks took advantage while the Knicks’ key players sat. The Knicks’ deep bench guys had promising moments, too. Junior guard Griffin blocked a shot on one side and then nailed a 25-foot three-pointer. On one possession, Cele converted a contested baseline layup, and on another, he showed great effort on a driving layup.

Two consecutive triples brought the Hawks within four points around the four-minute mark. They had a chance to catch the Knicks, but turnovers continued to plague the Birds, and Obadiah Noel scored a commanding eight points in the closing minutes to secure the W.

Next one

NBA 2K25 Summer League continues tomorrow, but unfortunately not for our ‘Bockers. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a week of Knicks basketball in the summer. It’s no big spoiler to say that Tyler Kolek stood out among the summer players, while other performances were mixed. We’ll recap the individual performances over the next week. For now, enjoy your weekend fans and safe travels Knicks.