Julius Randle subpar again as Knicks fall to Hawks, trail series 2-1

ATLANTA — In his pregame media session Friday, Tom Thibodeau was asked about his starting lineup, if he would do what he did in the second half of Game 2: insert his longtime partners, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson.

And with a straight face, he said, “Yeah, I’m still undecided.”

You could have conceded him his preference if he’d stuck with Elfrid Payton, whom he had started all season long and through the first two postseason games. And in the heat of an evenly-matched playoff series, you could have understood if he had said he had decided to rely on his most trusted lieutenants. But if you are familiar with his meticulous preparation, you could not believe Thibodeau, who leaves no stone unturned, when he said he didn’t know.

His faith in Rose and Gibson was rewarded as they performed as expected, with poise and skill and toughness. The problem for Thibodeau is that he didn’t have more of his old confidants with him. The rest of the Knicks lineup, including the franchise building blocks, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, came up empty and the Knicks were soundly beaten, 105-94, at State Farm Arena as Atlanta took a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.

By the end of the game Clint Capela was mimicking Dikembe Mutombo, wagging his finger after a blocked shot. Trae Young was taunting Reggie Bullock, who was hit with a technical foul as Young celebrated by playing to the crowd as Bullock pleaded with the officials.

But in the end, the Knicks had no one to blame but themselves. In the spotlight, they came up small. Randle, freshly-minted Most Improved Player in the NBA, struggled through a dismal 14-point performance, connecting on just 2-of-15 shots. It was the third straight subpar game in the series for Randle, who averaged 37.3 points against the Hawks in the regular season.

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Barrett was even worse, settling for just seven pointsand shooting 2-for-9, including an airball to put a finishing touch on the night.

“I really can’t put a finger on it,,” Rose said of the struggles of the two stars. “They’re doubling from weird spots. … If you know that teams are keying in on you like that we’ve got to find ways to get them – or get anybody – easy baskets. You get it mostly in the open court when the defense isn’t set and they’re not locked in on you the way they’ve been.”

Without a reliable offense the Knicks had no chance as the defense, no matter who played, was unable for a third straight game to slow down Trae Young, who orchestrated the Atlanta attack to near perfection, finishing with 21 points and 14 assists. With Young leading them some of the Hawks who had come up small in New York – Danilo Gallinari and John Collins – flourished. As a team, the Hawks shot 16-for-27 from beyond the arc as they kept the Knicks down by double-digits throughout the second half.

From the start Rose carried what little offense the Knicks mounted, finishing with 30 points, six rebounds and five assists. And Gibson fought inside while Nerlens Noel was hobbled by a sprained right ankle that limited him. But they found little help from the rest of the team. In the first quarter the Knicks led 31-29, but until Randle hit a last-second desperation three, Rose and Gibson had combined to shoot 7-for-10 while the rest of the team was 0-for-13.

If Rose’s ascension to the starting lineup allowed the team to get off to a better start on the road, it did little to solve the problems the Knicks have faced.

“I thought our defense in Game 2 was vital because it got us into the open floor,” Thibodeau said. “It got us easy buckets, I didn’t ever think we really got our defense going in this game. We have to understand the intensity that we have to bring to each game.”

Thibodeau had fought to get Rose and Gibson on the roster. With the inexperienced Knicks testing the postseason waters for the first time, he went with what he knows.

Thibodeau wouldn’t name a lineup until exactly 30 minutes before the game, but he did provide the real clue by noting that his decision was based on “what gives us our best chance to win.” And that meant Rose and Gibson.

But even as Thibodeau tried different combinations to open things up for Randle it just never worked. The Hawks sent multiple defenders at Randle and when he made the right pass the Knicks never made the Hawks pay by connecting on the open shots, the whole team seemingly stuck in a think-too-much malaise.

“I think we started the game out pretty good,” Barrett said. “We were up at the end of the first quarter. It doesn’t really matter. Whoever we have on the court, that’s who it is and we got to go with that. We got to trust coach, trust each other, and just execute.”

MISSING PERSON

Julius Randle made 45.6% of his field-goal attempts in the regular season. He is far below that standard in the first three games of the Knicks-Hawks series.

Game 1: 6-for-23

Game 2: 5-for-16

Game 3: 2-for-15

Totals: 13-for-54 (24.1%)

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.