And the tri-state area expelled a sigh of relief. The New York Knicks (2-2) took control early tonight and never let go, rolling past the Atlanta Hawks, 114–98, in Game Four of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. Behind a dominant, wire-to-wire effort, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded the first triple-double of his postseason career (20-10-10), while OG Anunoby added a 22-point, 10-board double-double. Jalen Brunson dropped 19 points to steady the offense and secure the comfortable, and reassuring,
victory.
Showing a marked improvement from Game Three, the Knicks shot well early, converting six of their first nine field goals. Atlanta matched that efficiency at the start, but New York’s wings applied frantic defense that helped the Knicks secure a 15-14 lead at the midway point of the first quarter.
Defying our cries to always play either Brunson or Towns at all times, head coach Mike Brown inserted Jose Alvarado (6 PTS, 3 STL), Miles McBride (11 PTS, 3-6 3PT), Jordan Clarkson (7 PTS), and Mitchell Robinson (6 PTS, 8 RBS, 15 MIN) to play alongside Josh Hart (10 PTS, 9 RBS, 2 STL) at the 4:20 mark. Luckily for him, his stubbornness paid off. Determined to reclaim their glory, our heroes played at a blistering pace and outrebounded the Hawks more than 2-to-1. Credit Brown for wisely deploying Robinson early, and the big fella brought immediate energy and dominance around the rim.
As New York hit the accelerator, Atlanta wilted under the defensive intensity. The Hawks shot just 7-of-20 in the first quarter and missed nine of their 12 three-point attempts. Thanks to a 14-5 run over the final four-and-a-half minutes, the Knicks closed the period ahead 27-20.
To start the second quarter, Brown rolled out a unit featuring Alvarado, Mikal Bridges (8 PTS, 3-4 FG, 19 MIN), Clarkson, Anunoby, and Towns. The Knicks kept the game in high gear, and Alvarado provided instant energy with a three-pointer and then stripping CJ McCollum (17 PTS, 8-15 FG), leading to an easy bucket.
Towns burst with newfound vigor, repeatedly attacking the cup and dominating the Hawks’ frontcourt. Even more impressive, New York’s defensive pressure stayed elevated while their offense hummed. Brunson rested comfortably until the 7:30 mark, with the Knicks ahead 38-29.
After Hart grabbed a defensive rebound off a Jalen Johnson (14 PTS, 3 RBS, 5 ATS) miss, the ball swung around through five or six Knicks before finding Brunson, who swished a triple. It was arguably the best offensive cohesion the Knicks have shown all series, and one of the first times they looked like the championship contenders we were promised by owner James “Eye in the Sky” Dolan (who took in the game at State Farm Arena).
Following a timeout from Hawks coach Quin Snyder, Atlanta’s defense tightened, forcing Brunson, Anunoby, and Hart to lose their handles on consecutive possessions. Both teams committed at least six turnovers in the period and missed several open shots. However, Anunoby answered with back-to-back perimeter triples, and Hart picked Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s (15 PTS, 5-10 3PT, 6 TO) pocket for a fast-break score, pushing their lead to 16 points.
The Knicks fans in attendance shook the building, and they went even crazier when Hart drilled a three with a minute-and-a-half left that put New York up by 16 again. By halftime, the Knicks held a commanding 58-44 lead.
Through the first half, New York outshot Atlanta 51% to 47% from the field and 43% to 26% from three-point range. The Knicks also dominated the boards 24-13, forced a whopping 10 turnovers in the second quarter alone with steals by Hart, Alvarado, Brunson, and Anunoby, and owned the paint 32-24. Atlanta’s defense was solid in forcing 10 giveaways, too, but they managed zero fast-break points in the half. McCollum led all scorers with 14 points, while Anunoby paced the Knicks with 12.
Out of intermission, the feathers were flying. The Birds scored five unanswered points to open the third quarter. Worse, Brunson rolled his ankle and headed to the locker room for examination within the first two minutes. Alvarado replaced him and did admirably, driving the Knicks at a blistering pace, knocking down a three-pointer, and recording his third steal of the game. Rumors of an Atlanta rally were greatly exaggerated!
When Towns hit a cutting Clarkson for an assisted bucket, the lead touched 17. Clarkson then knocked down two free throws, and the Knicks tied their largest lead of the playoffs at 19 points. Brunson returned to the bench and then re-entered the game at the 5:38 mark. The ankle appearing just fine, hallelujah, amen.
Atlanta got brief bursts from Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu (12 PTS, 6 RBS), but their shooting remained trash overall. Through three quarters, the Hawks had made just 7-of-31 from three-point range. McCollum, Okongwu, Dyson Daniels (6 PTS, 9 RBS, 6 ASTS, 2 STL), Johnson, and Jonathan Kuminga (10 PTS, 2 RBS) combined to shoot 1-for-18 from beyond the arc. Due to Atlanta’s ineptitude and New York’s sizzling play, the Knicks took a 86-65 lead into the fourth.
Anunoby scored the first four points of the final period with a free throw and a triple, pushing the advantage to 22. Assisting on Anunoby’s three gave Towns his tenth dime of the game, sealing a triple-double, the first of his career in the playoffs.
The lead ballooned to 24, but a Kuminga jumper and a Alexander-Walker three trimmed it back to 18 with eight minutes remaining. Given how freely the Knicks have surrendered leads this series, that margin still felt a little too close for comfort. From there, though, Brunson hit two free throws and McBride drained his second triple of the night, restoring the lead to 23 points. With those points, Brunson passed John Starks to take fourth place on the Knicks’ all-time playoff scoring list with 1,354 points and counting.
Not impressed? Rick Brunson:
There had to be a blemish somewhere. At the seven-minute mark, Towns exited after tweaking his knee. He remained on the bench, which looked like a positive sign. Then, with 4:20 left, Brunson knocked knees wit somebody (Rowan had distracted me, showing off a drum fill he’s working on), and Jalen was still wincing when Brown called timeout shortly after.
From there, with a 22-point lead, Brown emptied the bench, giving time to Alvarado, Tyler Kolek, Landry Shamet, Mohamed Diawara, and Ariel Hukporti. The reserves did a good clean-up job, and when the buzzer buzzed, the better team won, 114-98.
Up Next
Matthew Miranda’s cooking up your recap hot and fresh. Meanwhile, the series swings back to Madison Square Garden for a tilt on Tuesday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
