Knicks Take Game 1 with Strong Start and Finish

By Daniel Feuerstein | New York, NY | April 18th, 2026

Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, as the third seed, New York Knicks, took on the sixth seed, Atlanta Hawks, at Madison Square Garden. While this would be an interesting series and an entertaining one, the Knicks, with their playoff experience, got off to a hot start and held off the attack of the Hawks to take the opening game by the final score of 113-102.

It was a great start for the Knicks as they started hot with both Jalen Brunson and Mikael Bridges starting to score points and giving some space, while the Hawks were starting off slowly, they were able to get back into the game and challenged the Knicks. When the fourth quarter came into play, it was all Knicks. Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 28 points, and C.J. McCollum led all Hawks scorers with 26 points. Karl Anthony Towns was second on the Knicks with 26 points and was perfect at the charity stripe, making all 10 shots.

First Half: Knicks explode in the start, but the Hawks get back in

The Knicks began on fire from the opening tip. Jalen Brunson started 6 for 6 on the floor and finished the first quarter with 19 points. While the Hawks did come back to make it a game, the Knicks continued to play with the lead. Mitchell Robinson made several rejections with his first one of the game, sending Deuce McBride for a full-court layup, but he missed. Jordan Clarkson took the rebound and jammed it home. Onyeka Okongwu had a last-second three-pointer that beat the buzzer at the half.

Second Half: Tight game till the Knicks pull ahead in the fourth

Both teams are battling at the start of the third quarter, a scary moment when O.G. Anunoby rolled his left ankle when he accidentally stepped on the left foot of C.J. McCollum and rolled it. He came off limping, but was able to get back on the court later on in the third. The majority of the starters were on the bench as the backups started the fourth quarter and were a team determined to hold the fort. A big alley oop from Jordan Clarkson to Mitchell Robinson, then the Knicks started to heat up. Took a 9-2 run and allowed Karl Anthony Towns to lay it in with the foul and converted it for a 14 point lead.

The Knicks continued to pull away from the Hawks and took a 19-point lead, until the Hawks started to make an 11-0 run and cut the deficit to eight points. The Knicks called a timeout and got back into the game to hold the lead, and took game one as their fourth quarter game took the Hawks out of their game for the opening series.

KEY STATS:

ATLANTA: 38 FOR 87 FG’S, 14 FOR 37 3PTS, 12 FOR 19 FT’S
NEW YORK: 38 FOR 80, 12 FOR 25 3PTS, 25 FOR 30 FT’S
LARGEST LEAD: Knicks with 19 Points in the Fourth Quarter
MOST POINTS: Knicks with 30 Points in the First & Fourth Quarter