Knicks bench provides energy on both ends of floor to nail down Game 5 win over Hawks
Four bench players gave the Knicks the scoring and defense needed to make Game 5's win over the Hawks a laugher.
The Knicks dominated the Hawks in Game 5 of their first-round series to put New York one win away from advancing. And while Jalen Brunson 's 39 points and OG Anunoby 's ability to take over games on both sides of the ball will make the headlines, the Knicks bench needs its flowers after Tuesday's performance. The combination of Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado scored 29 points and were a +56 in their 64 minutes on the floor in the Knicks' 126-97 win at MSG.
In contrast, the Hawks bench ( Jonathan Kuminga, Gabe Vincent, Tony Bradley and Corey Kispert ) scored 19 points and were a -55 in their 68 minutes on the floor. "I feel like everybody's locked in," McBride said of the team's defense. "Defense isn't one guy's job, it's the whole team, so when the whole team's locked in, when guys coming off the bench, we’re locked in and we're not missing a beat, it just feels good.
" "We get stops and we get rolling. Once we get our defense rolling, the offense is going to take care of itself," Alvarado said. "We know we can score the ball at a very high level.
We need to get stops. And that’s what we try to do. " McBride was 0-for-4 shooting on Tuesday and was held without a point, but the guard contributed on the boards, which he had three, and helped on the defensive end.