By Daniel Feuerstein | New York, NY | April 20th, 2026
After a great performance in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the New York Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden for Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks. Another strong start to the game and dominating the entire three-plus quarters, they fell off towards the final two minutes plus, as the Hawks found a way to take the lead late, while there was a bit of a miracle, the final shot failed to go in as the Hawks survive and tied the series at one apiece with the final score at 107-106.
A fabulous start for the Knicks with all five starters in the game, and there was a bit of an issue with bad passing and not protecting the ball. But as the game wound down, the Hawks found ways to get back into the game and, with a poor shot at the end, edged the Knicks by a single point. CJ McCollum led all scorers with 32 points, while Jalen Brunson led all Knicks scorers with 29 points. Josh Hart led with 13 rebounds. Jonathan Kuminga led all Bench players with 19 points.
First Half: Knicks off to an explosive start and some physicality
The Knicks started strong, stripping the Hawks of the ball two to three times while they missed their first two shots, but finally got into gear with some amazing plays. Mitchell Robinson with two Alley Oop Jams, Mikael Bridges hitting two three pointers, and a suffocating defense to frustrate the Hawks, until they got into gear in the second quarter. The Hawks started to play better when the Knicks had their backups in the game. Careless passing allowed the Hawks to grab a lead. It all gets erased when Jose Alvarado came in, and it went back the Knicks way. The final shot of the half was when Bridges hit the jumper for the buzzer-beater with 2.7 seconds remaining.
Two moments in the first half when Mitchell Robinson was called for an offensive foul against Jalen Johnson, and walked over him while Johnson tried to get up off the floor. Then, Landry Shamet, in the second quarter, was driving to the hoop, then lost his footing and landed hard on the court from his back, which nearly took the wind out of him. Thankfully, Shamet was able to continue to play in the game.
Second Half: Knicks continue strong play, but lose steam at the end
As the Knicks started well once again in the third quarter, they were dominating the Hawks on the floor with shots and strong defense. They continued to show their strength, but as the fourth quarter was winding down, the Knicks missed several shots, giving the Hawks life and finding ways to convert buckets. Within the final two minutes of the game, the Hawks found themselves leading by one. Each side traded buckets until the Hawks made their last three shots. Burnson hits a three-pointer to tie the game at 103, but the Hawks found themselves ahead again.
Down by four, Brunson drains a three pointer, forcing the Hawks to call a timeout. They inbounded the ball, and Josh Hart fouled McCollum to send him to the free-throw line. McCollum missed both shots, and the Knicks, who should’ve called a timeout to prepare for a final play to win the game, quickly pushed up the floor and found Mikael Bridges in the far corner for the final shot of the game, and missed the hoop to give the Hawks their first win of the series and take it down to State Farm Arena in Downtown Atlanta for the next two games.
KEY STATS GAME 2:
ATLANTA: 40 FOR 81 FG’S, 9 FOR 30 3PTS, 18 FOR 23
NEW YORK: 39 FOR 87 FG’S, 11 FOR 34 3PTS, 17 FOR 27 FT
LARGEST LEAD: Knicks by 13 in the second quarter
MOST POINTS: Knicks with 32 points in the first quarter
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