Hawks fall to Knicks 104-85 in Summer League finale

The Atlanta Hawks took on the New York Knicks in their final game in the 2021 Summer League. Jalen Johnson (rest) and Skylar Mays (concussion protocol) missed this one, while Shafire Cooper did return to the lineup after missing the previous game.

The Hawks were unable to take home the win Monday, falling to New York by a score of 104-85. The Knicks played all of their key guys, including second-year players Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin, along with rookies Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride.

Grimes (26 points) and McBride (19 points) led the way for the Knicks in the win, with Toppin adding 11 points and nine rebounds. Javin DeLaurier led the Hawks with 18 points to go with seven rebounds. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Cooper finished with six points and two assists in 20 minutes.

The Hawks trailed by double-digits at half in this one. They made a brief run in the third quarter, but after New York closed the third quarter on a 9-0 run the Hawks never made another threat.

The Knicks pulled away down the stretch in route to the comfortable victory. Atlanta finishes their Summer campaign with a 2-3 record, but overall it seemed like a successful trip to the desert.

Cooper, Johnson and Mays all showed flashes of what they can provide as NBA players and that’s really what you want to see more than anything for Summer League, even more than wins. The key prospects the Hawks sent to Las Vegas all showed growth and promise, and that growth will be broken down further in our Summer League follow-up story that will be out in the near future.

The Hawks will now not play another NBA game until Oct. 4 when they kick off the preseason vs. the Miami Heat.

Stay tuned.