It was a rough night for the Knicks point guards Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina trying to keep pace with Atlanta’s Trae Young. Both got into foul trouble and were essentially ineffective in the Knicks’ 100-96 preseason loss to the Hawks at the Garden.
The point-guard derby could have been won by the guy who got the night off — Elfrid Payton.
Smith, in his preseason debut after missing the first two games with a back strain, looked out of sync after picking up two fouls in the opening 2:23 and heading to the bench. A rusty Smith finished with four points on 1 of 5 shooting and was credited with three turnovers and three assists.