Knicks beat Hawks in overtime for eighth consecutive victory

NEW YORK — There’s a blurred line between the top four teams in any given conference, and the bottom four teams in the playoff picture. On Wednesday night, that line was Trae Young, the star guard whose third-quarter ankle injury sucked the life out of a Hawks team built on top of his scoring prowess.

With Young out, the Knicks took control, seized momentum, forced overtime and won, 137-127. The Knicks trailed as many as 11 before his injury, then built a 10-point lead in the extra period.

New York now resides in the East’s No. 4 spot and would have home-court advantage if the playoffs started today. It would be the highest the team has finished the regular season since Carmelo Anthony led them to the No. 2 seed and a second-round playoff appearance in 2013.

The playoffs, though, don’t start today. The Knicks have 12 more games on the schedule, and six of them are on the road, in a row, out West, against four teams that consider themselves championship contenders: Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets and Suns.

Welcome back to that non-distinct line that separates playoff pretenders from contenders. The Knicks have come a long way in being considered part of the former. While they are far ahead of schedule, they still have yet to arrive.

Julius Randle needs help. He poured in 40 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists, bulldozing Hawks forward John Collins for a go-ahead basket down the stretch of regulation. Randle’s 40-point game marked his fifth of at least 30 points in his last six games. His play is far from a fluke.

The Hawks responded to that basket, though, with an inbounds play to Bogdan Bogdanovic, who the Knicks let escape to the left corner pocket for an uncontested 3-pointer.

There’s another part of that perforated, not-so fine line: The buck stops with Young, but in his absence, his teammates stepped up. If it’s not Young, it’s Collins. If not Collins, it’s Bogdanovic. If not Bogdanovic, it could be the smooth-shooting Kevin Huerter or Atlanta’s newly acquired Lou Williams.

For the Knicks, it was Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley, each of whom scored 20 points off the bench. Quickley made four 3s, again, including the dagger shot that made it a 10-point game with 44 seconds to go in overtime. They got another 16 points from RJ Barrett, and six 3s for 18 points from Reggie Bullock, who has become the team’s most reliable marksman.

There’s the last part of that blurred line: Execution on the defensive end. The Hawks have lethal shooters on the perimeter but the Knicks held them to just five points in overtime. Without Young, Atlanta had no player to break down the defense. Williams has taken a step back.

The Knicks, on the other hand, have stepped forward. They have worked for everything they’ve earned, even if the No. 4 seed is a fleeting symbol of recognition. Randle is the star this team is riding, and he hasn’t been brighter than he’s been this season.

“New York, we here,” he said walking off the floor.

Not quite, but the Knicks are finally on track.