Knicks eliminated from NBA Cup tourney in ugly loss to Hawks

The Knicks weren’t ready for the adult trip. 

Tom Thibodeau’s hot-and-cold squad went frozen in a 108-100 loss to the Hawks and was eliminated from the NBA Cup quarterfinals as nemesis Trae Young again taunted his favorite arena. 

Instead of heading to Sin City for the semis, the Knicks next travel to Mickey Mouse territory — Orlando — to face the Magic on Sunday. 

Trae Young and the Hawks knocked the Knicks out of the NBA Cup on Wednesday night. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

They deserve the kiddie rides after Wednesday’s dud at MSG, where Young sent a reminder of his more mature destination at the final buzzer.

The Hawks guard mimicked rolling dice at half-court as he dribbled out the clock, a celebration he said was planned days earlier with his brother. 

“I knew what I was going to do,” said Young, who finished with 22 points and 11 assists as Knicks fans chanted the familiar, profane, “F–k, Trae Young,” at different points during the game. “We’re going to Vegas, so that’s what I was going to do. 

“If I was going to be taken out of the game, I would have done it before.” 

So the Knicks (15-10) were embarrassed by Young, outrebounded, outhustled and perpetually more obsessed with the referees than their own struggles.

The Hawks (14-12), who next face the Bucks in the NBA Cup semis in Vegas, pounced in the second half and wore down the lackluster Knicks on the glass. 

Jalen Brunson goes up for a shot on Wednesday night. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“I want to take a look at the film,” Thibodeau said. “They’re a very good offensive rebounding team. We knew that going in. I think we were plus-2 at the half [in rebounding]. The third quarter was a problem. 

“And they erased the deficit they had. And that went quickly. And then our energy dipped. And it can’t dip. Missed shots are a part of the game. We just got to keep fighting. Win with your defense, your rebounding. We had a couple of turnovers. That was a problem as well.” 

Jalen Brunson managed just 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting and was locked up by Dyson Daniels, a budding All-Defense candidate who hounded and cut off New York’s point guard at every pivot. 

Mikal Bridges and the Knicks couldn’t overcome the Hawks on Wednesday. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

The Knicks shot just 26 percent on treys, 60 percent on foul shots and allowed 22 offensive rebounds, exemplified by a five-shot Atlanta possession in the fourth quarter. 

“Finishing possessions defensively [was a problem],” Brunson said. “They had a lot of offensive rebounds. Just unacceptable.” 

The defeat cost each Knicks player over $50,000 in prize money they would’ve received for reaching the semifinal, which would’ve been added to the $50,000 they got as quarterfinalists. 

The Hawks get that money and apparently Young is a fan of craps. He explained his whole elaborate taunting routine. 

Trae Young trolled the Knicks at the final horn. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“I rolled an eight. And then I picked it up,” Young said after he kneeled near the logo to pantomime a dice game. “And then I rolled it again. So I picked up the money after that and we left.” 

The Knicks controlled the first half amid Atlanta’s shooting struggles but could never create enough separation to feel comfortable.

The Hawks chipped away until taking their first lead of the contest on Young’s trey midway through the third quarter. 

The rest of the half was a Knicks misadventure they blamed on missed shots spilling over to poor defensive possessions. 

OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks looks to pass the ball during the first quarter. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“Just wasn’t our night,” Brunson said. “Just wasn’t my night offensively. They got out in transition and Trae hit a couple key threes and once it went to a double-digit lead for them and they played well with a lead.” 

The previous time Young faced the Knicks in an elimination game, nearly five years ago, he buried the home team at MSG in Game 5 of the playoffs and finished the evening with a Broadway Bow. 

This time, it was a Vegas roll. 

“We should win the game if we don’t want him to do that,” Brunson said.

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