The Knicks withstood a strong start from old enemy Trae Young, overcoming an early deficit to earn a 119-110 victory over Atlanta Hawks amdist celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day. New York took Atlanta for the first time in three tries this season.

Behind Jalen Brunson’s 34 points, New York left the MLK Day matinee at MSG with a 119-110 win that was ugly, physical and filled with complaining to the referees but nonetheless satisfactory after

But Jalen Brunson had another target in mind. While he would never acknowledge it and certainly would never admit it, but in the flow of trying to lift the Knicks to a much-needed win, he also was attacking Atlanta’s defensive stopper, Dyson Daniels. Daniels had begun to garner a reputation for frustrating Brunson.