Knicks bench provides energy on both ends of floor to nail down Game 5 win over Hawks

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. Robinson did his thing, coming down with six rebounds, scoring seven points and coming up with a block in his 16 minutes and Clarkson posted nine points on 3-of-7 shots, while giving the team energy.

And you can't talk about energy without mentioning Alvarado, who scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-for-3 from three) in his 12 minutes.

My teammates found me, I was open and I made the shots today," Alvarado said of his offensive spurt.

But the bench's emergence in this series is a long time coming. Clarkson, acquired in the offseason, took time to find his place in coach Mike Brown's system. He was out of the rotation for a bit before emerging as a reliable bench player. Same with Alvarado, who was acquired at the deadline. The New York native burst onto the scene when the Knicks traded for him, but saw his minutes dwindle as the regular season was coming to an end.

"[Being out of the rotation is]definitely challenging, but I’ve been in the league for 12 years. I know how it goes," Clarkson said. "Just continue to stay ready. There’s a locker room of young guys and other people, watching me and seeing how I react to those things. Set an example for that. Continue to stay locked in with my team and organization. Just waiting for my opportunity to go out there and play. Everybody setting that example and having everybody ready is big for the team."

"It’s part of the business. Stay ready and whatever the team needs," Alvarado said. "We’re a really good team. They communicated with how it was going to go. And I stayed ready. That’s what I did mentally."

Staying ready has paid off for Clarkson and Alvarado. They, along with the rest of the Knicks bench, have allowed the team to hold on to large leads in the last two games. When the starters are on getting a breather, the bench has sustained the intensity the Knicks need to keep the scrappy Hawks at bay.

They know they have to do the same on Thursday when the Knicks try to close out the series in Atlanta.

"We know how good the bench is and how good the team is," Alvarado said. "We go out there and be ourselves and try to boost the energy. Whatever the team needs, the bench tries to provide that."

"We’re all tough-minded. We love challenges. We continue to hold each other up," Clarkson said. "This team has been resilient all year. It’s not going to be smooth. Continue to lean on each and continue to fight one through 15."