The Knicks head to State Farm Arena tonight for Game Three against the Hawks, tied 1-1 in their first-round playoff series. New York needs to reclaim momentum after blowing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead in Game Two and giving the series a queasy, slippery feeling. The Knicks entered Game Two with a 40-1 record when leading by 12 or more points entering the final period, the sole blemish being Reggie Miller’s infamous 1994 choke-sign game. Monday’s loss made it 40-2.
In Game Two, Atlanta’s 107–106
victory resulted from a fourth-quarter surge that seemed to catch the Knicks by surprise. CJ McCollum took over late, finishing with 32 points, while Jalen Brunson’s 29 weren’t enough to hold off the run. For the second straight game, Karl-Anthony Towns was iced out of the offense in the first half. And plenty of blame lies at the feet of Knicks coach Mike Brown, who made some curious lineup and timeout choices.
The keys to victory remain the same, and our heroes know what to do. In fact, aside from one 15-point fourth quarter, the Knicks have executed a winning game plan so far and led for 91% of both Games One and Two.
They must control the tempo, continue to dominate the glass (they’re +14 on the boards in the series), limit turnovers, and hang their wings on Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Making free throws would help: ten points were squandered at the charity stripe.
Another smart move, or so it would seem from the cheap seats, would be to integrate Towns earlier into the offense and make hay where the Hawks are most vulnerable (namely, the frontcourt). This series should belong to Towns; let Brunson take the next one.
On the subject of New York’s All-Stars: for the rest of the series, Mike Brown must keep at least one of them on the floor at all times. The postseason is not the time to roll out untested lineups that never played together during the regular season. Keep that up, Mike, and Leon Rose will be interviewing Billy Donovan this summer.
On the injury front, the Knicks are largely intact, with Anunoby playing through a minor ankle issue. The Hawks remain without Jock Landale, and Okongwu has been dealing with knee inflammation, though he’s expected to go.
Atlanta’s core group—McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu—is talented and versatile but outclassed by the Knicks when the ‘Bockers play their best. They stole one on Monday. It won’t happen again tonight. Expect another close finish, but New York has learned their lesson about letting go of the rope. If they haven’t, then their postseason train will run out of steam in a hurry. Prediction: Knicks by six.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (1-1) vs Atlanta Hawks (1-1)
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
Time: 7 PM ET
Place: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
TV: Amazon Prime Video
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
