The New York Knicks opened their playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks with a 113-102 win, on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, taking a 1-0 lead behind an early scoring burst from Jalen Brunson and a decisive third-quarter push that finally created breathing room.
Brunson set the tone immediately. He scored 28 points overall and had 19 in the first quarter alone, giving the Knicks the offensive calm and force they needed before the game had fully settled. Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points, with 19 of them coming after halftime, while OG Anunoby scored 19 and Josh Hart added 11 points with 14 rebounds. It was not a one-man performance so much as a layered one, with New York getting its lead creator early and its supporting structure at the right moments later.
Atlanta stayed competitive long enough to make the game feel live. CJ McCollum scored 26 points, Jalen Johnson added 23, and Onyeka Okongwu chipped in 19, but the Hawks could not recover once New York found its rhythm in the third quarter. Consecutive three-pointers from Towns and Anunoby helped trigger the run that changed the game, turning a manageable contest into one Atlanta spent the rest of the night chasing.
That was really the shape of the opener. The Hawks had enough shot-making to threaten, but the Knicks had more answers and more lineup balance once the pressure rose. By the second half, New York’s defense tightened as well, helping hold Atlanta to 47 points after the break.
Game 1 did not overwhelm with suspense, but it told the story a higher seed wants to tell. The Knicks absorbed Atlanta’s resistance, leaned on Brunson when they needed clarity, and used their broader talent base to finish the job. For the Hawks, there is still time to adjust. For New York, the first step looked exactly as it needed to.
