NBA: New York Knicks win on Christmas for the first time in a decade as Kemba Walker becomes seventh player to score holiday triple-double

Kemba Walker could not have envisioned this Christmas. Less than two weeks ago, his coach wouldn’t even call his name. On Saturday, his hometown fans were chanting it.

Walker became the seventh NBA player with a triple-double on Christmas as the New York Knicks beat the depleted Atlanta Hawks 101-87 for their first win on the holiday in a decade. “It was amazing,” Walker said. “Those are moments that you dream about. It’s kind of hard to put it into words, to be honest.”

Julius Randle had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks in a match-up of teams who met in the first round of last season’s play-offs. But the Hawks were missing Trae Young among nine players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, so it wasn’t much of a rematch of Atlanta’s five-game victory.

Walker finished with 10 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The six-foot guard raced around the floor trying desperately for his 10th rebound for much of the second half, finally getting it in the fourth quarter when Mitchell Robinson’s block came to him.

It was the first triple-double on Christmas since Golden State’s Draymond Green in 2017, continuing Walker’s strong stretch since going from a nine-game stint out of the rotation to back in the starting line-up when the Knicks were short-handed.

He said he couldn’t have foreseen things turning so quickly. “This is not how we pictured it,” he said. “I ain’t complaining, either.”