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The Knicks head to State Farm Arena tonight for Game Three against the Hawks, tied 1-1 in their first-round playoff series. New York needs to reclaim momentum after blowing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead in Game Two and giving the series a queasy, slippery feeling. The Knicks entered Game Two with a 40-1 record when leading by 12 or more points entering the final period, the sole blemish being Reggie Miller’s infamous 1994 choke-sign game. Monday’s loss made it 40-2.
In Game Two, Atlanta’s 107–106 victory resulted from a fourth-quarter surge that seemed to catch the Knicks by surprise. CJ McCollum took over late, finishing with 32 points, while Jalen Brunson’s 29 weren’t enough to hold off the run. For the second straight game, Karl-Anthony Towns was iced out of the offense in the first half. And plenty of blame lies at the feet of Knicks coach Mike Brown, who made some curious lineup and timeout choices.
The keys to victory remain the same, and our heroes know what to do. In fact, aside from one 15-point fourth quarter, the Knicks have executed a winning game plan so far and led for 91% of both Games One and Two.
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They must control the tempo, continue to dominate the glass (they’re +14 on the boards in the series), limit turnovers, and hang their wings on Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Making free throws would help: ten points were squandered at the charity stripe.
Another smart move, or so it would seem from the cheap seats, would be to integrate Towns earlier into the offense and make hay where the Hawks are most vulnerable (namely, the frontcourt). This series should belong to Towns; let Brunson take the next one.
On the subject of New York’s All-Stars: for the rest of the series, Mike Brown must keep at least one of them on the floor at all times. The postseason is not the time to roll out untested lineups that never played together during the regular season. Keep that up, Mike, and Leon Rose will be interviewing Billy Donovan this summer.
On the injury front, the Knicks are largely intact, with Anunoby playing through a minor ankle issue. The Hawks remain without Jock…
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Publish date : 2026-04-23 04:12:00
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