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Kemba had a historic Christmas Day triple-double.
When asked about his historic performance, Kemba Walker said it was amazing to get a triple-double in front of his home crowd. (0:32)
3:44 PM
Kemba Walker was officially given back his starting point guard spot.
He recorded his third triple-double of his career and the first by a Knick on Christmas Day, as the Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 101-87 at Madison Square Garden.
Walker became the seventh player in NBA history to record a triple-double on Christmas when he finished with 10 points, 10 rebound and 12 assists in the Knicks' win. Those are the moments you dream about.
It's hard to put it into words. It was special to be back in New York, with my New York on my chest. It felt great.
Walker was back on the court for the fourth game in a row on Saturday, after being benched for the first time in his career when the Knicks found themselves without virtually any other guard because of injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak.
Walker scored 29 points against the Celtics in his first game in Boston since being traded away in the summer. He scored 21 in a win over Detroit on Tuesday and 44 in a loss to Washington on Thursday before his triple-double against Atlanta.
Walker had earned his starting spot back on a permanent basis, even before Saturday's win, after seeing enough to know that the Knicks are returning to full strength. There was a question as to whether New York would put Walker back on the bench and start Alec Burks at point guard.
Walker will stay in the starting five, despite the fact that New York's bench unit is back to playing like it was earlier in the season.
When asked if it was difficult to keep Walker in the starting lineup, Thibodeau said no. We have to do whatever gives us the best chance to win. That's what we're doing.
When Walker was on the bench for nine straight games, it was not clear if it was because of the coach's decision or not. In a game in which the Knicks were short-handed, the Knicks were short-handed, and the Knicks' coach played little-used forward Kevin Knox over Walker.
The Knicks went 1-8 during those games. They've split their four games since Walker returned. While Walker didn't have the prettiest stat line Saturday (3-for-12 from the field), he was thrilled with how he played, and said he has noticed a different attitude from his point guard since he put him back on the floor.
Walker has been much more aggressive over the past four games, as he tried to fit into a new team, and he was deferring too much to the players around him.
The game tells you what to do. That's what I liked about him. I didn't think he forced anything. He didn't fight it because they put size on him, they were aggressive with their coverage, and he didn't fight it.
His passing was great. Sometimes it will be his shooting. Sometimes it's his penetration that leads to the paint. If they are being aggressive with their traps, get rid of the ball quickly and everyone will move.
Walker immediately agreed when he was told that he had approached things with a different mindset since his return.
He said he had. That's what I've had. Come out and be aggressive. I think I did that early on because I have a tendency to not want to step on toes. I wasn't being aggressive. I think being out and seeing how the game is going has changed my mindset.
The Knicks would like to see it from Julius Randle. After a season in which he was the best of his career, he has struggled to live up to that form this season, with his 3-point shooting dropping from 41 percent to 32 percent.
One of his best performances of the season was put together on Saturday, when he finished with 25 points, 11 rebound and three assists while shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 6-for-9 from 3-point range. It was the first time since the San Antonio Spurs game that he had hit at least half his shots.
He was deferring too much early in the season, but he's trying to play differently now.
"I think we're feeding off each other," he said. We were trying to figure out how to play with each other and it took time. We got a second chance at it.
I'm happy for him. I'm happy for him that he's able to be who he is. I'm sure when he came here he wanted to play a type of basketball that he's playing now. I think we feed off each other and the team will go as we go.
As Walker checked out of the game with a couple minutes to go, he was serenaded with chants of his name, and the victory celebration began with a dunk by second-year forward Obi Toppin.
After three weeks of wondering if he'd get back on the court, Walker said all of that is now under the bridge.
He said his benching was a positive impact once he returned to the starting five.
"I'm done with it," Walker said. At this point, it doesn't matter. I take it as a blessing. I think it was a blessing in disguise.
God works in mysterious ways. He's helped me stay grounded, and he just got me through a tough situation. I continued to work, and time went on, and guys went down, and I came back. I was back in the starting lineup for the first game against my old team.
Everything happens for a reason.
