The Atlanta Hawks came up just short falling to the New York Knicks 113-112 Sunday afternoon at Philips Arena in a game that was played in a playoff like atmosphere. Once again the Hawks were plagued by suspect execution down the stretch as they failed to get a good look at the basket on several of their final possessions.
Marvin Williams had a big day in his return to the starting lineup and got the call on the last play of the game for the Hawks. However, Williams driving shot attempt at the rim didn't beat the final horn and secured the win for the Knicks.
Williams led the Hawks with 29 points on 10-15 shooting and also grabbed 11 rebounds. Jeff Teague added 23 points, six assists and five steals while Joe Johnson added 22 points. Josh Smith finished with 14 points and five boards for the Hawks.
Carmelo Anthony carried the Knicks offense with 39 points on 14-32 shooting. Amare Stoudemire was solid as well finishing with 22 points and 12 boards. Landry Fields scored 12 of his 18 points in the third quarter and was 7-8 from the field in the game. Baron Davis finished with 13 points and former Georgia Tech standout Iman Shumpert added 11 for New York.
Atlanta shot 53 percent for the game and went 15-23 from beyond-the-arc. They however turned the ball over 19 times and were just 15-23 from the free throw line which is huge in a one point loss.
For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Knicks fans should check out Posting and Toasting. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.