Atlanta Hawks

New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose scored 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting in Game 3 of his team's Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

However, the rest of the Knicks did not fare well, shooting 16-of-60 in a 105-94 defeat.

After the game, Rose spoke about the team's offensive struggles and what needs to be done for them to go away.

“When we’re not making shots, we still have to play with that sense of urgency," Rose said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.

"We have to find a way to grind it out when we’re not making shots. Not play lackadaisical."

The Hawks went on a 22-3 run late in the second quarter in part because the Knicks made just one field goal and committed four turnovers in a seven-minute period. New York, which trailed 58-44 at the half, was unable to cut the lead to single digits in the final 24 minutes.

New York's offense has sputtered multiple times this series. The Knicks notably scored just 16 first-quarter points in Game 1 and fell behind 57-44 at halftime in Game 2.

It's been Rose who has kept the Knicks hanging around, averaging 24.3 points per game. The rest of the Knicks have not fared well, with All-Star forward Julius Randle notably shooting just 24.1 percent from the field through three games.

New York is down 2-1 in the best-of-seven matchup against the Hawks, who are hosting the Knicks for Game 4 on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in State Farm Arena.

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young said a fan attempting to spit on him during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden was "uncalled for" and "disgusting."

Speaking to ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth before tipoff of Game 3 against the New York Knicks on Friday, Young said he has no problem with fans booing him or chanting at him but that a line was crossed. 

On Thursday, the Knicks announced they investigated the spitting incident and banned the fan responsible from attending games at MSG indefinitely. 

The incident was one of three instances across the NBA on Wednesday night that ended with fans banned from arenas. 

In Philadelphia, a season-ticket holder had his seats revoked and was indefinitely banned after dumping popcorn on an injured Russell Westbrook as he went back to the locker room against the 76ers. Later in Utah, the Jazz ejected and banned three fans who shouted racist obscenities at the parents of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.

"For me as a player, I come out and do my job and play and I have no problem with the fans and what they've been saying," Young said Friday. "That's a part of it. It's basketball and I enjoy it and I love it. I'm not mad at fans who chant things. Spitting and things like that, that's uncalled for in any arena." 

The increase in obscene fan behavior led to the NBA releasing a statement condemning the recent acts and reiterating its commitment to the league's code of fan conduct policies. 

Young said he's ready to move on from the incident, but the NBA will be paying close attention to fan conduct throughout the remainder of the postseason.  

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young acknowledged a video of a New York Knicks fan who seemingly attempted to spit on him Wednesday during Game 2 of the first-round NBA playoff series.

In response to the video, which was tweeted by a fan, Young said:

Young tagged 50 Cent since the apparent spit appeared to land on or just past a woman who was sitting next to the rapper. Whatever it was didn't look as though it made it to Young.

While Young had a sense of humor about the situation, it came on the same night Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook had to be restrained by Philadelphia 76ers security after having popcorn dumped on him while leaving the court:

Westbrook told reporters: "In these arenas, you have got to start protecting the players. We'll see what the NBA does."

It wasn't a great night for Young's Hawks as they fell 101-92 to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, tying the series at 1-1.

The loss didn't fall on Young's shoulders, though, as he scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting with seven assists and four three-pointers. He also had a plus-5 rating when he was on the floor.

Atlanta didn't get the production it needed out of the likes of John Collins, Clint Capela and Danilo Gallinari, who combined for 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting.

Young and the Hawks silenced the Knicks faithful in Game 1, but after New York bounced back with a Game 2 victory, the Knicks will follow the Hawks to Atlanta with momentum on their side.

As for Young, he'll likely be thrilled to play in front of more welcoming fans after narrowly avoiding an apparent loogie at MSG.

The New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 101-92 to even their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at one game apiece on Wednesday.

After the game, Hawks star point guard Trae Young issued this tweet:

Young also had this to say immediately after the Hawks' loss:

The former Oklahoma Sooner has been sensational through two playoff games, averaging 31.0 points, 8.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He scored the game-winning bucket with nine-tenths of a second left to give Atlanta a 107-105 Game 1 win:

Young, who shushed the Madison Square Garden crowd after that bucket, has quickly become public enemy No. 1 for Knicks fans. He even got the attention of New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio:

This series has gotten off to an energetic and dramatic start thanks in part to Young, but now it's Atlanta's turn to play host.

The Hawks will welcome the Knicks into Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday, respectively, at State Farm Arena.

New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose had no problem with Trae Young's celebration after hitting the game-winning shot in Sunday's 107-105 win for the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rose suggested "the league got so soft" after there was blowback to Young's display of showmanship in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd.

The New York crowd showered the halls of Madison Square Garden with "f--k Trae Young" chants before the start of the game. 

Young seemed to embrace his role as a villain to Knicks fans after the game. In addition to his go-ahead shot with 0.5 seconds left to play, the All-Star point guard was seen mouthing "it's quiet in here" and gave the crowd the universal signal to quiet down:

“I must be doing something right,” Young told reporters after the game about the reaction he received from the MSG crowd. 

Knicks fans were especially hyped for Sunday's game. The 15,000 people in attendance marked New York's largest crowd of the season. It was the franchise's first playoff game in eight years. 

Instead of getting to celebrate a win, though, Knicks fans were left with the image of Young walking off the court triumphant. He finished with 32 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. 

Madison Square Garden will get another chance to let Young hear it on Wednesday when the Hawks and Knicks play Game 2 of their series at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. 

Trae Young's first playoff game was a memorable experience, as the Atlanta Hawks star silenced 15,000 fans inside Madison Square Garden with his game-winning shot in the final seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

Rayford Young, Trae's father, told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that his son relishes playing the villain role after Knicks fans were taunting him before tipoff of Sunday's game.

“He loves it," Rayford said. "There’s no sensitive bone in his body when it comes to that."

ESPN's Malika Andrews tweeted prior to the game that Knicks fans entering Madison Square Garden were chanting "f--k Trae Young" in anticipation of New York's first playoff game since May 2013. 

Young got the last laugh when his floater with 0.5 seconds remaining gave the Hawks a 107-105 win. The All-Star point guard referenced the Knicks crowd as he was walking to the locker room. 

“As I hit the floater, it just felt like everybody got quiet,” Young said in a postgame interview. “I was waiting for them F-you chants again. I was excited.”

Young was the best player on the floor in Game 1. The 22-year-old finished with 32 points on 11-of-23 shooting, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 35 minutes. 

It was the highest-scoring playoff game by an opposing player at Madison Square Garden since LeBron James had 32 for the Miami Heat on May 6, 2012. 

The Hawks and Knicks will play Game 2 of their series on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. 

Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins received an apology Tuesday from Le Bilboquet, an upscale restaurant in Atlanta, after he was turned away from the establishment Saturday because of its dress code.

Le Bilboquet said in a statement it's "deeply sorry" for the situation and promised to review its dress code while all employees undergo "diversity, equity and inclusion training":

Wilkins alleged Saturday he was turned away because of the "color of my skin":

The 51-year-old Hall of Famer, who currently works as the Hawks' vice president of basketball and as a special advisor to CEO Steve Koonin, spoke with WSB-TV about the restaurant's actions.

Wilkins said he was wearing "designer casual clothing" and implied the restaurant's dress code was not applied equally.

"Discrimination has many different disguises, you know. In this case, it's disguised through a dress code," Wilkins said. "I'm just hoping that they learn from this and that they could get some diversity equality and this type of training to guard against this."

Wilkins spent the first 12 NBA seasons with the Hawks after being selected with the third overall pick in the 1982 draft.

He also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic, along with stops in Europe as a member of Panathinaikos and Fortitudo Bologna, prior to his 1999 retirement.

The University of Georgia product was a nine-time All-Star, a two-time Slam Dunk Contest winner and the 1985-86 NBA scoring champion. His No. 21 jersey is retired by the Hawks.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called out Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young on Tuesday amid the first-round NBA playoff series between the Hawks and New York Knicks.

While donning a Knicks hat, de Blasio criticized Young's style of play:

De Blasio called for Young to "stop hunting for fouls" before adding: "Play the game the right way. See if you can win. I think the Knicks are gonna teach you a lesson."

Young starred in the Hawks' Game 1 win against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in NYC on Sunday, as fifth-seeded Atlanta outlasted the fourth-seeded Knicks 107-105.

Young led all scorers with 32 points on 11-of-23 shooting and added 10 assists and seven rebounds with just two turnovers.

The 22-year-old phenom also got to the free-throw line nine times, connecting on all of his attempts, much to the dismay of de Blasio.

With the score tied, Young made the game-winning field goal with just 0.9 seconds remaining on the clock, thus silencing the Knicks faithful in attendance.

According to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, Young suggested that he took great joy in disappointing the raucous crowd at MSG:

"I definitely know the history of players coming in here and being hated. Like I said, I take that as a compliment to be honest with you. Obviously I'm doing something right if you hate me that much. I embrace it and try to focus on my team and trying to help my team win. At the end of the day, we'll get the last laugh if we do that."

Adding to the hard feelings Knicks fans may have been experiencing Sunday was the fact that it was the first Knicks playoff game since 2013.

The Knicks will have their opportunity to get some revenge on Young and the Hawks on Wednesday when New York hosts Atlanta for Game 2 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

The raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden took center stage during Sunday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.

Until Trae Young silenced the fans.

Young drilled the game-winning floater with 0.9 seconds remaining to give his Hawks a 107-105 victory on the road.

"When you're in the zone and everyone's chanting 'F You,' I don't know if any of y'all had that but I've had it a couple times," he said on TNT after the shot. "I had it in college, and I had it again tonight. It got real quiet at the end. For me, I wanted to hear those 'F You' chants again."

He later added:

It wasn't just the shot that stood out during Young's first career playoff game.

He finished with 32 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and went into takeover mode during the fourth quarter. He answered a Julius Randle go-ahead three with an and-1 in the final two minutes, put Atlanta ahead with two free throws with less than 30 seconds remaining and found Bogdan Bogdanovic and De'Andre Hunter for clutch three-pointers.

Atlanta needed the heroics given the performance of New York's bench.

Alec Burks led the way for the home team with 27 points, while Derrick Rose turned back the clock for stretches with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Immanuel Quickley provided some outside shooting, and RJ Barrett spearheaded the effort for the starting lineup with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.

However, star Julius Randle was an ugly 6-of-23 from the field, which New York was not able to overcome with Young playing like an actual star on the other end.

The Hawks point guard will have an opportunity to continue silencing the Knicks fans in Wednesday's Game 2 at Madison Square Garden. If they can steal another one on the road, the Hawks will be in full control heading back to Atlanta.

Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan told reporters Friday that his recent comments about the New York Knicks, which led to the NBA fining him $25,000, were taken out of context:

"We are excited about playoff basketball. It's an exciting time for the NBA. But unfortunately my comments were taken out of context. My intentions were never to suggest any type of bias as it relates to the league and our upcoming playoff series. This type of narrative does not in any way represent me and what I stand for as coach of the Atlanta Hawks.

"I stand by my position in respecting the Knicks as an organization and applaud the work they have done this season. My team understands the challenge ahead and we most certainly look forward to the tough competition. That was my intention when I had the conversation a few days ago. We're going to put this behind us."

McMillan said in a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday that "there's going to be a lot of calls that probably won't go our way" in the first round. He added the NBA "wants" and needs the Knicks in the playoffs because they play in a big market and alluded to how they hadn't been in the postseason for each of the previous seven seasons: 

"I've gone as far as saying the league wants this. They need this, New York, this is a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years. And this is a team that our league, they want to see—there's a huge fanbase—and they want to see New York in the playoffs."

Marc Berman of the New York Post brought up McMillan's take to Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who said this in response:

The Hawks and Knicks will be squaring off in the first round of the playoffs beginning Sunday at 7 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden. It will undoubtedly be a raucous environment, as New York will be opening its arena to 15,000 fans per night.

The Knicks are in a market with over 19 million people, so the NBA would likely enjoy higher ratings if the team that has called Manhattan home since 1946 fares well. 

McMillan will be looking to guide the Hawks to their first playoff series win since 2016. The coach took over for Lloyd Piece when the team was 14-20, and the Hawks finished 27-11 under his tutelage.

Atlanta is facing another hot team in the Knicks, however, as New York went 16-4 to close the regular season.