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Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks hang on to defeat Atlanta Hawks

By Jon Gold, The Sports Xchange

NEW YORK -- Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and Doug McDermott added 23 points off the bench to lead the New York Knicks to a 111-107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

Dennis Schroder scored 21 points and Ersan Ilyasova had 20 to lead the Hawks, who shot just 9 for 31 from 3-point range.

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With Tim Hardaway Jr. remaining on the sideline due to a lower left leg stress injury that may keep him out at least two more weeks, Porzingis shouldered more of the Knicks' scoring load than he already does, which is a lot.

Porzingis had 15 points in the first half and nine in the fourth quarter as he was particularly effective at the end of quarters. Porzingis had 15 points in the final three minutes of each period combined.

New York (13-13) needed Porzingis' clutch play to fend off a feisty Atlanta squad missing several players.

The Knicks took control late in the first quarter as Porzingis had five consecutive points to take New York from a 21-19 deficit to a three-point lead. New York's offense ebbed, however: The Knicks went up by seven early in the second quarter, then nine late in the quarter, only for the Hawks to reel off a 17-7 run to take a 52-51 halftime lead.

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New York went into the fourth quarter up 76-75 but quickly went on a 6-0 run to take a seven-point lead, and eventually led by as many as 11 before the Hawks cut it to three with 20 seconds left.

Jarrett Jack added 19 points for the Knicks, who have won two of three after dropping five of six.

With McDermott leading the way, the New York bench did extensive damage. Behind McDermott's 9-of-13 shooting, the Knicks' reserves outscored Atlanta's 45-31.

Taurean Prince added 17 points for the Hawks (6-20), who entered the game on a 3-4 run after going 3-15 to start the season.

NOTES: New York stays home on Tuesday for a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. ... Atlanta stays on the road for a Tuesday showdown against the Cavaliers in Cleveland. ... The Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak against the Hawks, though they still trail the all-time series against Atlanta, 194-175. The last time the two teams met on Nov. 24, New York blew a 17-point lead in a 116-104 loss.

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