Hawks' 4Q rally ties series
- The Atlanta Hawks erased a 12‑point fourth‑quarter deficit to win Game 2 and knot the Knicks series 1–1. (x.com) - CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 32 points in that comeback. (x.com) - The series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3, and sportsbooks list Knicks‑Hawks Game 3 as a pick’em. ( )
Atlanta erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 2, beating New York 107-106 at Madison Square Garden to even the first-round series. (nba.com) CJ McCollum scored 32 points and hit the go-ahead bucket with 34 seconds left on April 20, while Atlanta won the fourth quarter 28-15 after trailing by 12 entering the period. (nba.com) The Knicks had been 39-0 this season when leading by at least 12 points in the final period, according to NBA.com’s Game 2 analysis. (nba.com) Game 1 looked more familiar for New York: the Knicks won 113-102 on April 18 behind their 53-29 regular-season record and home-court edge as the East’s No. 3 seed, while Atlanta entered as the No. 6 seed at 46-36. (espn.com) Game 2 changed the shape of the matchup because Atlanta left New York with a split and took back home court before Game 3 at State Farm Arena on Thursday, April 23. (nba.com) The late-game formula was specific: NBA.com’s breakdown said Atlanta repeatedly hunted Jalen Brunson in switches, with McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga scoring key baskets after forcing that matchup. (nba.com) Jalen Brunson still scored 29 points in Game 2, but New York managed only 15 points in the fourth quarter after putting up 32 in the first and 30 in the third. (espn.com) The betting market sees almost no separation going into Game 3: ESPN’s odds page listed New York as a 1.5-point favorite on April 23, effectively treating the game as close to even. (espn.com) That is a sharp turn from two nights earlier, when New York was one quarter from a 2-0 lead and Atlanta was staring at a trip home in a hole that teams rarely escape. (nba.com) Now the series resumes in Atlanta with the score level, and the comeback that stole Game 2 has turned Knicks-Hawks into a best-of-five. (nba.com)
