The Knicks were already missing center Mitchell Robinson, who could be operated on by hand this week.
His new center-back Nerlens Noel picked up three early fouls. The backup center, Taj Gibson, was tagged with four fouls in the second quarter.
Atlanta made 25 free throws in the first half. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau briefly continued his alternate plan to use Julius Randle in the center and rookie Obi Toppin at the front.
It’s not an ideal lineup, especially against downtown Atlanta’s Clint Capela, who finished with 15 points and 18 rebounds.
Fortunately for the Knicks, Noel again presented a second half amid serious problems as the Knicks went 2-0 up from Robinson’s injury.
In the third quarter, the Hawks advanced 72-66 before the Knicks got a 23-11 run. It was a run that Noel helped ignite when he made two straight blocks: one to Skylar Mays and the other to Kevin Huerter, the native of the Albany area who fought powerfully (2 of 12).
“I was worried,” Thibodeau said of the serious problems at his centers. “We talked about the way they draw faults. It was said to be tight and we had to adjust. I thought Nerlens was fantastic. It’s not an easy confrontation. “
Noel’s score didn’t necessarily make him shine, but he did all the hard defensive work that allowed the Knicks to get ahead. And he did so by playing five fouls, getting his fifth with 8:36 left.
Noel scored six points (3 of 3 from the field), adding three blocks, two steals and four rebounds, finishing a plus-17 in 27 minutes.
Gibson scored just one point in 16 minutes, but it was tough in one night. Toppin was mostly a factor in 11 minutes.
The Hawks-led attack, led by Trae Young, was thwarted in the 28-22 quarter.
“Pick-and-roll coverage is huge when you play this team,” Thibodeau said. “You have to commit to the ball and commit to coming back, committing to the rebound. It takes a lot of effort. You can’t relax for a second. Capela presses you, [John] Collins puts pressure on you and Young is a burden to face. Those guys looked at a lot of things. Some of us defended them very well. Some not as good as we liked. But we had a great effort from both centers. “