Knicks Refocused and Crushed the Hawks, Series Tied at Two

By Daniel Feuerstein | Atlanta, GA. | April 25th, 2026

After a disastrous Game 3 at State Farm Arena on Thursday night, the New York Knicks refocused themselves and went after the young Atlanta Hawks. From the opening tipoff to 3:35 left in the fourth quarter, as the Hawks pulled their starters and let their backups finish the game, the Knicks took the victory with determination and purpose. While there was a scare involving Jalen Brunson, he returned to help destroy the Hawks by a final score of 114 – 98.

It was an even game in the opening quarter, but as it wore on, the Knicks kicked it into high gear and separated themselves with double-digit leads. They never slipped back down to a single-digit lead, and they continued in all four quarters to dominate the Hawks and prevent them from getting into a run. Karl Anthony Towns became the fourth Knicks player to earn a triple-double in the playoffs, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 Assists. O.G. Anunoby was the leading scorer with 20 points. C.J. McCollum led all Hawks players with 17 points.

First Half: The Knicks started even, then pulled ahead.

Both sides were trading buckets and putting in their points. O.G. Anunoby went on a Jam fest by smashing in two dunks in a row, then Jordan Clarkson drove down the middle and delivered a high layup off the window and in. Jose Alvardo delivered some strong play with a big three in the first quarter. Then the Knicks broke away in the second quarter with a determined mindset to take the lead and never let it go. Jalen Brunson took a three-pointer, and so did Anunoby while beating the shot clock from expiring. Some big plays back-to-back by Josh Hart. After scoring a layup, he got back defensively to steal the ball and took it all the way back down to jam it home on a breakaway

Second Half: The Knicks continued to pound the Hawks

While the Hawks began with a 5-0 run when the third quarter began, it was all over from that point on, as the Knicks quickly got back into gear and drove to the hoop every opportunity they got. Anunoby and Towns were on fire, and Alvarado pulled a steal by pickpocketing the Hawks from behind, gave the ball to Towns at the top of the three-point line, made a hard pass to Anunoby, and laid it in. Deuce McBride also got into the action with several three-pointers. There was a scare when Jalen Brunson got injured on the court and was out of the game for a while, but returned to play the rest of the way.

In the fourth quarter, the Knicks just kept on destroying the Hawks, and that forced both teams to sit their starters and put in the backups for the rest of the game. The Knicks evened the series at two, and they are returning to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 and the hope of taking the series 3-2 before returning to Atlanta for Game 6.

KEY STATS
NEW YORK: 41 FOR 83 FG’S, 14 FOR 31 3PTS, 18 FOR 23 FG’S
ATLANTA: 34 FOR 83 FG’S, 10 FOR 41 3PTS, 20 FOR 25 FT’S
LARGEST LEAD: Knicks with 24 points in the fourth quarter
MOST POINTS: Knicks with 31 points in the second quarter

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