Knicks Bulletin: ‘I want to make that very clear: I was not digging graves’

The Knicks put a losing end to their road trip and spoke about it in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Hawks welcomed the Knicks on Wednesday and beat them 121-116, as New York couldn’t buy a bucket to save its collective life late in the game, dropping the Manhattanites to a 3-4 losing record before they return home.

On Friday, New York will host the struggling Bucks (1-6), and they better get their game together, as this whole “growing pains” thing is starting to get old and stale.

Here’s what Coach Thibs, a few Knicks, and some Hawks players had to say before and after Wednesday’s debacle.

Tom Thibodeau

On having to close out games better:

“We have to close better. We have to defend and we gotta rebound and we gotta keep our turnovers down. If we do those three things, you’re in position to win.”

On not using Matt Ryan in Atlanta:

“He just got here [Wednesday].

“We have to get him in, the opportunity may come. We know if we need shooting, we have an answer there.”

Josh Hart

On Wednesday’s sluggish performance to finish the road trip:

“End of a long road trip, we came out sluggish.

“We kind of let them operate offensively kind of how they wanted and then offensively we weren’t crisp. I think we had 15 turnovers or whatever for the day.

“We’ve got to find a way. This game obviously very winnable at the end of the game. We’ve got to be able to put teams away at the end of close games.”

Jalen Brunson

On the Knicks’ need to improve:

“We just have to get better from it. That’s all we can do.”

On his feelings after the loss in Atlanta:

“Like s–t. Because I have my own expectations and I haven’t lived up to them.”

On having the need to keep working without caring for external noise:

“We’re trending in the right direction. Can’t focus on the opinions of people outside. Focus on what we believe’s going on—how can we fix it together?

“We see each other and work with each other every day. So we know what’s going on in between these lines.”

On his late-game decision to pass the rock to KAT instead of shooting:

“They were all loaded up on me. And KAT has a higher release point where nobody can really contest his shot.

“I thought it was a good shot. The ball hit the rim at a certain angle and they were off to the races.”

On Dyson Daniels’ defense on him:

“He competes. You got to give him credit. He competed really well.”

Mikal Bridges

On learning from losses:

“We just got to get better. Had a good one in Miami and it was kind of a letdown after that.

“I think we got too excited. We just got to build off these games. Obviously it sucks to learn from losses but that’s what we got to do.

“It’s tough. Starting off hot and not ending how we wanted to. But just learn from it.”

Matt Ryan

On his work in the Yonkers cemetery before joining an NBA franchise:

“I want to make that very clear. I was not digging graves. I was not working the midnight shift. It was early as hell, though. 7 to 3. And it was freezing.

“Honestly, the reason I did those couple jobs was because once I got the call to go play somewhere, I could just get up and go.”

On his NBA journey:

“The first thing I’ll say is, from my background to where I am now, for me the NBA wasn’t supposed to be easy.

“I wasn’t a high pick, I went to three colleges, I sat out a year. I’ve kind of bounced around teams here at the beginning of my career. It kind of makes sense for me. It was never supposed to be easy.

“You’ve got 450 guys in this league, probably 50 guys are rock-solid stars and the other guys got to figure out where to fit in. That’s the category I’m in. But I’ve figured my skill that I can carry from team to team. I figured out my work ethic that no matter what jersey I put on, no matter what city I’m in, I can carry that with me.”

On playing for his hometown team in New York:

“It’s extremely special. But at the end of the day, I know playing for [Thibodeau] is going to require a tremendous amount of focus every day, blocking out everything else that’s going on.

“It’s very lucky, a unique circumstance to come home, play for the Knicks as a Westchester kid. But I’m locked in.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the loss to the Hawks:

“Just came out sluggish. We can’t allow that to happen.

“We gotta impose our will, gotta play New York Knicks basketball from the giddyup. Can’t just ease into the game.

“This one’s gonna hurt. We could’ve provided the city and everything tonight.”

Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks Player)

On Knicks fans after the game:

“I hope these New York fans find their way to the exit real, real quickly.

“Boo, take y’all asses home.”

Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks Player)

On playing four NBA games in six days:

“I’m tired.”

On getting encouragement from coach Quin Snyder:

“He basically tells me to shoot the ball. That’s not just from him. That’s from everybody on the coaching staff and my teammates. It helps with my confidence.”

On teammates’ support after his 33-point performance:

“It made me super happy to see how people reacted to me being good.”

Quin Snyder (Atlanta Hawks Head Coach)

On Risacher’s development:

“His progress isn’t going to be linear. He’s got to stay at it. We have confidence in him if he makes shots or he doesn’t.

“Today, he was really good on the defensive glass as well.”

Kirk Goldsberry (NBA Analyst)

On the Knicks’ roster depth:

“It depends on what you define (as) depth. I think their fourth and fifth guys are great, but below that, we’re asking a lot of Deuce McBride right now.

“Once Mitchell Robinson gets back, I think they’re relatively deep.

“But I brought this up because you said there’s Boston and OKC, and I think that’s what it is. And when you look at depth, it’s those guys by a long shot.”