The Atlanta Hawks’ chance to upset the New York Knicks came after Game 3 when they took a 2-1 series lead. But those aspirations evaporated once the Knicks flipped a metaphorical and literal switch.
Following consecutive dominant victories, New York dealt the final blow to their playoff rivals in a blowout 140-89 game six triumph on Thursday at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The win, which was never close nor competitive, solidified the Knicks’ largest playoff win ever and a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals, as they look to make their third appearance against either the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers.
Entering this series, some were doubtful of head coach Mike Brown’s ability to lead his team past the first round. Safe to say those mouths were silenced, as Brown’s team played four complete quarters of basketball in which they outscored their opponent 40-15 and 43-21 in the first half.
Others were critical of Mikal Bridges not scoring a single point and giving up four turnovers in game three. It only took a week for the veteran forward to prove them wrong, scoring 24 points on 80% shooting.
However, OG Anunoby had the glaring best performance of this final game, tallying 29 points and seven rebounds with 24 of his points coming in the first half alone. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were in proximity, providing 17 and 14 points, respectively. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a 12-point, 11-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double.
Unlike in games two and three, the Knicks’ defense held Hawks guard CJ McCollum to 11 points, while Jalen Johnson led the home team with 21 points.
After scoring 39 in game five, Brunson knocked down a three-point shot to open the floodgates. Anunoby poured in 10 points, as Towns denied Atlanta at the rim. Brunson and Anunoby each got another two shots to fall, extending their team’s lead to 25.
With sweat pouring down his face, Anunoby relentlessly scored another four points to start the second quarter. And as Atlanta scored their first four points of the quarter, a Mitchell Robinson alley-oop slam dunk pushed New York’s lead to 41. Nine combined points from Bridges and Anunoby brought the lead up to a staggering 50.
But the Knicks’ scoring onslaught was put on hold when Robinson got tangled up in a scuffle with Hawks forward Dyson Daniels, leading to both players crashing into fans sitting court-side. After being separated, the officials assessed offsetting technical fouls to Robinson and Daniels, resulting in both players being ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Following the incident, the Knicks went into halftime holding a tight 47-point lead.
New York started the second half the same way the game began, with Brunson scoring the first basket. Bridges put up the next eight points, as a Josh Hart three-pointer brought the lead back up to 53 heading into the final 12 minutes. At this point, the fate of both teams was already decided, making the final quarter meaningless, with the reserves earning postseason minutes.
With the Hawks out of the picture, the Knicks will gear up for a semifinal matchup against either the Celtics or the 76ers following game seven of their first-round series. Either way, New York is bound to play an Atlantic division rival that they have gotten the better of in the regular season and their last two playoff runs.
