The New York Knicks had payback on their mind Saturday night as they took on the Atlanta Hawks for the first time since their playoff exit last season. Unfortunately, they were missing four role players in Kemba Walker, Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Nerlens Noel.
Tom Thibodeau would be forced to adjust his beloved rotations, inserting Alec Burk into the starting lineup and using rookies Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims off the bench. To say it worked would be an understatement. Burks shook the Knicks out of their usual third-quarter doldrums with 15 of his team-high 23 points in the frame, helping the Knicks take back the lead after Atlanta had snatched it away coming out of halftime.