Knicks Win With Gallo's Hot Shots and Chandler's Key Swat

Danilo Gallinari opened the night with the highest-percentage shot you can take, a two-handed dunk off a nice pump fake, and went on to have one of his best offensive performances of the season.  

As Tracy McGrady rested following a grueling schedule in his return from knee surgery, Gallinari looked like a veteran All-Star, scoring 27 points and grabbing five rebounds in the Knicks’ much-needed 99-98 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Monday night at Madison Square Garden.  

“I was feeling pretty good,” Gallinari said.  

The second-year forward looked more than good as he made his first five shots and went 9-for-14 from the field, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. It was just the kind of spark the Knicks needed following an off shooting night in a loss to the New Jersey Nets at home two nights earlier.  

“I was trying to read the defense and be aggressive,” Gallinari said. “I thought I had a lot of mismatches especially in the first two quarters and I tried to play with that and take advantage of that.”  

David Lee contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds for his 41st double-double of the year, while Al Harrington scored 14 off the bench, including a clutch jumper to give the Knicks a three-point lead with 50.5 seconds remaining. The Knicks, who never trailed in the second half, hit 10 of 15 three-point attempts and shot 50.6 percent from the field.  

But when it came to the final play of the game, it was Knicks’ defense that sealed the game.  

With seconds left to play, Wilson Chandler blocked Josh Smith’s shot attempt from a few feet out. Al Horford grabbed the rebound and banked in a short jumper as time expired, and after the referees ruled the bucket good, the play was reversed and the Knicks walked away with their first win in four games.  

“That was a great block,” D’Antoni said. “No doubt he has the athleticism, but to do that at that time, obviously key.”  

The Knicks were able to knock off the Hawks for the third time this season despite playing without McGrady, who has started every game he’s played for the Knicks since the team acquired the seven-time All-Star from Houston at the trade deadline three weeks ago.  

McGrady, who played nine straight games in 14 days, made the decision on his own to sit out his first game. He said he was sore following the Knicks’ recent back-to-back set against the Toronto Raptors and the Nets.  

“I’m sure he doesn’t want to push it too early,” D’Antoni said. “He should be cautious, and that’s what we’re going to do.”  

The good news, however, is that there is no structural damage to McGrady’s surgically repaired knee. D’Antoni says the swingman will take things “day to day and quarter by quarter” as he continues the slow and careful process of getting back to 100 percent.  

“I think that’s normal,” D’Antoni said. “You always hope for the best. You know there’s going to be ups and downs, but I told Tracy before the game it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon to get him back to where he needs to go. It’s definitely not surprising.”  

The 6-foot-8 McGrady had started the previous three games at point guard, but D’Antoni made the decision to move Sergio Rodriguez back into the starting lineup even before McGrady made himself unavailable against the Hawks. D’Antoni also planned on taking a longer look at rookie Toney Douglas.  

“We wanted to do that anyway,” D’Antoni said before the game. “So he’ll play some at backup point.”  

And D’Antoni kept to his word. Douglas was the first guard off the bench and was on the floor during crunch time. He tallied 11 points and three assists in over 23 minutes.  

“He plays intense. He played well,” D’Antoni said. “And right now, in that stage, that’s what we need to do. We just need to play hard, and he does that. He brings some defensive stuff in and hopefully he can learn and get better at it and not take too many gambles.”  

Rodriguez, meanwhile, scored nine and dished out four dimes in his return to the starting five.