Knicks clinch series — rout Hawks 140-89 in Game 6

The Knicks didn’t just close out the Hawks. They detonated the series. New York beat Atlanta 140-89 on Thursday, April 30, to win the first-round matchup 4-2, and the game was basically over before halftime. That matters because this had looked shaky a week ago — the Knicks were down 2-1 after two one-point losses. Then they ripped off three straight wins and ended it with the biggest playoff blowout in franchise history. (nba.com) ### How lopsided was this? Absurdly lopsided. The Knicks led 40-15 after one quarter, which set a shot-clock era playoff mark for first-quarter margin, then pushed it to 83-36 by halftime. That 47-point halftime gap was the biggest in NBA playoff history. The final margin was 51, which tied for the sixth-largest postseason win (nba.com) ever had. (boston.com) ### Who drove the avalanche? OG Anunoby was the headline scorer. He finished with 29 points in just 27 minutes, hit 11 of 14 shots, made four threes, grabbed seven rebounds, and piled up four steals. Most of the damage came early — 26 of his 29 points were in the first half, when the game turne(boston.com) on one guy. (boston.com) ### What did Towns do? Karl-Anthony Towns gave the game its “this is getting silly” feel. He posted 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists — his second triple-double of the series, just five days after his first. That’s a huge sign for New York, because Towns wasn’t just scoring. He was bending(boston.com) in a seven-game series. (boston.com) ### Why did this feel over so fast? Atlanta completely unraveled. The Hawks shot just 12-for-39 in the first half, went 4-for-18 from three before the break, and coughed up 14 first-half turnovers. New York, meanwhile, hit 83 points by halftime and topped 100 with 8:21 still left in the third q(boston.com) tells you everything about the level of control. (boston.com) ### What was the fight about? There was a mid-blowout flashpoint. Dyson Daniels and Mitchell Robinson were ejected after a second-quarter fight that broke out with New York up 50. But the scuffle felt more like a symptom than a turning point — frustration spilling out of a game Atlanta had alre(boston.com) (espn.com) ### So what changed in this series? Resilience, mostly. The Knicks were down 2-1 after back-to-back one-point losses, which is the kind of spot that can make a team look fragile fast. Instead, they answered with three straight wins, and each game got more authoritative. Game 5 was a 29-point win. Game 6 became a record book n(espn.com)ox score — New York looked tested, then looked dangerous. (boston.com) ### Who’s next? Now the Knicks wait for the winner of Celtics-76ers. They’re back in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the fourth straight year, and they’ll get there looking a lot more convincing than they did when this series was wobbling after Game 3. The opponent is still unsettled, but(boston.com)omentum. (cbssports.com) ### Bottom line? This wasn’t a normal closeout game. It was a reset. The Knicks turned a tense first-round series into a statement, and now the rest of the East has to take that seriously.