The Atlanta Hawks were in New York to face the Knicks in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. After a week of preparation, the time came for the Hawks to to get their postseason started for the first time since 2023.
Game 1 is all about getting jitters out early and figuring out what your opponent may have in store for an entire series. For the Hawks, there are a few players with not much playoff experience, while others have the tools needed to compete at this level.
Nonetheless, the entire
team has shown during the second half of the series that they’re ready for the moment.
It was an offensive showing for both teams to start the game, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker got in on the fun with this pull-up jumper.
Defense fuels the offense for the Hawks, and that’s what they did to get CJ McCollum this 3-pointer.
Jalen Brunson couldn’t be stopped to start the quarter, and whatever he threw up was going in. That gave the Knicks the lead, but the Hawks kept it close.
The defense continued to make plays, and it led to easy shots on the other end.
The Hawks were able to take the lead late in the quarter with this drive from Onyeka Okongwu.
The Knicks captured the lead back down the stretch, and going in the second, the Hawks trailed 30-24.
The Knicks carried their momentum over to start the second and extended their lead to double digits, but not for long. Okongwu knocked down a 3-pointer to cut down their deficit.
Mitchell Robinson proved in the first half that he was going to be a handful, and the Hawks were going to have to get creative to neutralize him. That was no problem for McCollum, as he got his crazy layup to go over Robinson.
Jonathan Kuminga put pressure on the rim in the second, and got downhill for this bucket in transition.
The 3-pointers started raining for the Hawks, and it helped them to stay close.
McCollum got into a zone in the second, getting this floater to go down.
Okongwu finished the first half with this buzzer-beater 3-pointer.
Going into the halftime, the Hawks trailed 57-55.
Okongwu end the first half with a 3-pointer, and started the second half with one.
McCollum kept getting buckets and making it look easy.
The Hawks went with the Hack-A-Robinson in the third quarter, and it had to have worked in their favor as he went 1-for-4 from the line, and the Knicks immediately pulled him out.
That led the Hawks to attack the rim, which meant it was time for Johnson to work out.
The Knicks continued to stay in front throughout the quarter, and the Hawks trailed 83-74 going into the fourth.
Kuminga came out aggressively in the fourth, getting to the rim. Later on, he got an and-1.
That didn’t shave the Knicks’ lead down as much as they continued to knock down shots, even with no Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor. The Hawks got stagnant on offense midway through the quarter, and by that time, the Knicks had extended their lead.
Things did not get any better for the Hawks down the stretch of the quarter, and the Knicks kept piling on the points.
Just like for most of the season, the Hawks always found a way to make a late run, and that’s what they did in this one, getting their deficit down to single digits with less than two minutes.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough time for the Hawks to keep things rolling, and all the Knicks needed were a few plays to secure the victory.
McCollum finished with 26 points, Johnson finished with 23 points, and Okongwu finished with 19 points.
The Hawks will be back in action for Game 2 on Monday.
