Hawks take 2–1 lead
- The Atlanta Hawks beat the New York Knicks to take a 2–1 lead in their first‑round playoff series. - USA Today reported the Hawks flipped the series dynamic, with the winner of Game 3 historically winning the series 74% of the time. - The Athletic and USA Today highlighted Atlanta's veteran play and CJ McCollum's role in shifting odds for New York. (usatoday.com) (nytimes.com)
Atlanta escaped with a 109-108 win over New York on Thursday night, and the Hawks now lead the first-round series 2-1. (nba.com) CJ McCollum hit the go-ahead fadeaway with 12.5 seconds left and finished with 23 points in Game 3 at State Farm Arena. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, while Jonathan Kuminga added 21 off the bench. (nba.com) New York briefly moved ahead 108-105 on Jalen Brunson’s three-point play with 1:03 remaining, then came up empty on its last two possessions. OG Anunoby scored 29 points for the Knicks, Brunson had 26, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21. (nba.com) The series looked different after two games in New York. The Knicks won Game 1 by 11 points, but the Hawks stole Game 2 by one point and followed it with another one-point win in Atlanta. (espn.com) That put extra weight on Game 3. USA Today noted that the winner of Game 3 in a tied best-of-seven series has historically gone on to win the series 74% of the time. (usatoday.com) Atlanta has shifted the matchup by putting veteran shot-making and late-game execution at the center of the series. NBA.com’s recap said McCollum delivered the decisive basket again after scoring 32 points in the Hawks’ Game 2 comeback at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com) (espn.com) ESPN wrote that Atlanta has made life “uncomfortable” for New York by forcing the Knicks to play from behind and by getting transition chances from Kuminga and the rest of the Hawks’ rotation. That has kept pressure on Brunson and Anunoby to rescue possessions late in games. (espn.com) The schedule now turns to Game 4 on Saturday, April 25, back in Atlanta, with the Hawks holding home court and a 2-1 edge. If New York does not even the series there, it would return to Madison Square Garden facing elimination pressure in Game 5. (nba.com) (espn.com)
