OG Anunoby drops 29, Knicks rout Hawks
- OG Anunoby scored 29 points as the Knicks crushed the Hawks 140-89 in Game 6 on April 30, clinching the series 4-2. - New York led 83-36 at halftime — an NBA playoff record 47-point break lead — after a 43-6 burst flipped Atlanta’s early edge. - The blowout sent the Knicks to a fourth straight East semifinal and showed how overwhelming their two-way depth can look.
The Knicks didn’t just eliminate Atlanta. They flattened the series into one unforgettable image — OG Anunoby catching fire, New York ripping off a 43-6 run, and the Hawks basically disappearing before halftime. The final was 140-89 in Game 6 on Thursday, April 30, and the margin felt every bit that absurd. This wasn’t a tense closeout. It was a demolition that sent New York into the Eastern Conference semifinals with a very loud reminder of its ceiling. (nba.com) ### What actually happened in Game 6? Atlanta jumped out 9-5, which now feels almost fake given what came next. The Knicks answered with that 43-6 avalanche, led 40-15 after one quarter, then pushed the halftime score to 83-36. By the break, the game was already living in record-book territory, and the second half was mostly about how ugly the final margin would get. (nba.com) ### Why was Anunoby the face of it? Because he set the tone early and never let Atlanta breathe. Anunoby finished with 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting, plus seven rebounds, four steals, and four made 3-pointers. Even more telling — 26 of those 29 points came in the first hal(nba.com)e the avalanche feel inevitable. (khou.com) ### Was it only Anunoby? Not at all. That’s part of why this result matters. Karl-Anthony Towns posted his second triple-double of the series, and New York got another balanced night instead of needing one star to drag it h(khou.com) — defense, pace, shooting, and sheer physical pressure. (khou.com) ### How historic was the blowout? Pretty ridiculous. The 83 points New York scored by halftime tied the most ever in a playoff half, and the 47-point halftime lead set an NBA playoff record. The 51-point margin also became (khou.com)hose nights that rewrites franchise and league trivia at the same time. (nba.com) ### How did the series swing back to New York? A few days earlier, this matchup looked wobbly for the Knicks. They lost Games 2 and 3 by one point each and suddenly trailed 2-1. Then came three straight New York wins, including a Game 4 road stabilizer and this Game 6 oblite(nba.com) overwhelmed Atlanta with depth and defensive pressure. (espn.com) ### What does this say about the Hawks? Mostly that they ran into a version of New York they couldn’t match physically or schematically. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 21, but the Hawks were buried by turnovers, defensive breakdowns, and a total inability to slow New York’s wings once the first punch landed. When a game get(espn.com)t means almost every pressure point broke at once. (espn.com) ### Why does this matter going forward? Because the Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference semifinals for a fourth straight season, and this kind of closeout changes the mood around them. A grind-it-out team winning ugly is one thing. A deep, physical team hanging 140 in a playoff elimination game is someth(espn.com)e real story was how complete New York looked when everything clicked. (nba.com)
