By ADAM ZAGORIA
Arizona product Allonzo Trier impressed in his first NBA game with the Knicks.
Trier led the Knicks’ bench unit with 15 points and 4 rebounds in a 126-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden, including this impressive dunk to end the third period.
Arizona product @ISO_ZO with the emphatic dunk for the #Knicks to end the 3rd pic.twitter.com/ZDX4gqQRoX
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 18, 2018
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks with 31 points, Enes Kanter had 16 points and 11 rebounds and former Indiana forward Noah Vonleh chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Former Michigan star Trey Burke had 15 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds from the starting point guard spot, while rookie Kevin Knox of Kentucky struggled with 10 points and no rebounds on 4-of-16 shooting off the bench.
Trier’s performance came on the same night as his former Arizona teammate, Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the Draft, went for 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in his debut as the Phoenix Suns beat Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks, 121-100.
Trier, playing on a Two-Contract that allows him 45 days with the NBA club, impressed in his first NBA game after not getting drafted following a suspension last year at Arizona for PEDs.
“‘Coming here, not getting drafted, he has a chip on his shoulder, that’s what we like out here,” Hardaway Jr. told MSG’s Rebecca Haarlow. “And he came out and proved that on the biggest stage in the country.”
Said Trier: “It was just an amazing moment, it’s a blessing to be here, I’m thankful to God for this opportunity and I’m out there trying to make the most of it.”
At that point, Kanter came and jumped on Trier and Hardaway Jr. to celebrate.
Tim Hardaway on Allonzo Trier : ‘He has a chip on his shoulder and he came out and proved that on the biggest stage in the country ‘ pic.twitter.com/tMSaRfq3yS
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 18, 2018
Enes Kanter is fired up about Allonzo Trier and the #Knicks win pic.twitter.com/6uisc8v9nY
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 18, 2018
