Derrick Rose is built for the bright lights. In another night where thousands of Knicks fans packed Madison Square Garden and “F— Trae Young” chants continued to hail from outside the arena, Rose handled his business.
The former MVP led the Knicks to a 101-92 victory in Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Hawks, scoring a team-high 26 points off the bench as New York managed to get a win on their homecourt. Tom Thibodeau allowed Rose to go toe-to-toe with Trae Young as he played 38 minutes, leading New York to its first playoff win since 2013 and tying the series at 1-1.
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time,” said Rose to Ernie Johnson in a postgame interview. “In the past, people said I couldn’t play the minutes, but I knew all along how much work I put into it.”
After trailing by as many as 15 points in this game, the Knicks managed to steal the lead in the third quarter with Hawks coach Nate McMillan benching his starters for an extended period. The Knicks led by 10 with around eight minutes remaining in the game before Young checked back into the game to lead a 13-3 run that tied the game at 91. The Knicks went on to hold Atlanta to one point in the final five minutes of the game as the Hawks missed their final eight shots.
This gave New York their first 15-point comeback win in the playoffs since Game 6 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Heat, according to ESPN.
Through the first two games of this series, the story has been the disparities between the offensive production among the starters and bench for both teams. Despite the trio of Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and De’Andre Hunter combining for 66 points in Game 2, the Hawks’ bench was outscored by 30-plus points for the second straight night.
McMillan’s all-bench lineup simply didn’t work as Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams shot the Hawks out of the game towards the end of the third quarter. Hawks forward John Collins receiving three fouls in his first three minutes of total playing time also played a part in Atlanta’s downfall.
New York’s bench has averaged 59.5 points in the first two matchups but have seen very little consistency within their starting lineup. Knicks All-Star Julius Randle, the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year, hasn’t shown up in both games averaging just 15 points on 28.2 percent (11-39 Fg) shooting from the field. Randle was just 0 for 6 with two points at halftime but started the half with a 3-pointer and scored 11 points to push the Knicks into the lead in the third quarter.
Hawks point guard Trae Young has been stellar throughout the series as he became the sixth player to score 30 points in his first two playoff games and accepted the “villain” role after his game-winner in Game 1. The rivalry between Young and Knicks fans has been the best thus far in the playoffs and will at least spill over into a Game 5 battle in New York.
“I’ll see you in the A (Atlanta),” said Trae Young leaving floor in Wednesday’s loss. Atlanta has won 11-straight games in State Farm Arena as they host the Knicks for Game 3 on Friday.
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