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New York Knicks Defeat Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Playoff Series

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Knicks Take Game 1 Over Hawks in Eastern Conference Playoffs

The New York Knicks secured a 113-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks, the No. 3 seed, now lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night in New York.

Final Score & Key Performers

  • Final: New York Knicks 113, Atlanta Hawks 102.
  • Knicks Top Scorers: Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 28 points. Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points and 8 rebounds.
  • Hawks Top Scorers: CJ McCollum led his team with 26 points. Jalen Johnson contributed 23 points.

How the Game Unfolded

The Knicks established an early lead, ending the first quarter ahead 30-24. Jalen Brunson was instrumental, scoring 19 points in that period while making his first six shot attempts.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who had a quiet first half with 6 points on 1-for-6 shooting, found his rhythm after halftime, scoring 19 of his 25 points.

A decisive fourth-quarter run appeared to put the game out of reach. With the Knicks leading by eight, a scoring burst from Towns, Jordan Clarkson, and Gabe Vincent extended New York's advantage to 106-87 with about 4:30 remaining. The Hawks showed resilience, answering with 11 consecutive points to cut the deficit to 106-98 before Towns scored again to restore a double-digit lead for the Knicks.

The game featured notable moments in the third quarter, including a technical foul assessed to Hawks guard CJ McCollum following an official review for a hostile act. The Hawks also intentionally fouled Knicks center Mitchell Robinson twice; Robinson made 1 of 4 free throws on those possessions.

Post-Game Reactions

  • Jalen Brunson (Knicks): "We know that they’re going to be ready for Game 2. So quick turnaround and extreme focus."
  • Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks): "We did a great job as a team just fighting and continuing to find ways to score and also impact winning."
  • Quin Snyder (Hawks Coach): "I like the way we came back at the end of the game. They were resilient in that situation, it was just too little, too late."

Team Background

  • This game marked the first postseason contest for the Knicks under head coach Mike Brown. Under previous coach Tom Thibodeau, the team made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, including an Eastern Conference finals appearance last year—the franchise's first since 2000.
  • The Hawks, the No. 6 seed, secured their playoff position by posting a strong 20-6 record after the NBA All-Star break.
  • Knicks guard Jalen Brunson holds the franchise record with eight 40-point performances in the postseason.