The No. 6 seed Atlanta Hawks erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and stunned the New York Knicks 107–106 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, riding a 32-point performance from CJ McCollum to even their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Atlanta trailed throughout the entire second half and entered the fourth quarter down 12 points before mounting a dramatic comeback capped by McCollum’s clutch shot-making in the final minutes. The victory not only shifted momentum in the series but also snapped a remarkable historical trend that had long favored New York in similar situations.
Game 3 shifts to Atlanta on Thursday.
McCollum took control late, delivering key baskets as the Hawks surged ahead for the first time in the second half. After Atlanta chipped away at the deficit, McCollum buried a jumper with 2:09 remaining to give the Hawks a 101–100 lead their first second-half advantage of the series. He followed with another bucket to extend the margin to three before Jalen Brunson answered with a tying 3-pointer.
Unfazed, McCollum struck again with a pull-up jumper with 33 seconds left, restoring Atlanta’s edge at 105–103. He later missed two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining, leaving the door open but New York couldn’t capitalize.
With no timeouts remaining, the Knicks rushed upcourt, and Mikal Bridges’ final jumper at the buzzer missed, sealing Atlanta’s dramatic escape.
Atlanta’s comeback effort wasn’t McCollum’s alone. Jonathan Kuminga provided a major lift off the bench with 19 points, while Jalen Johnson added 17 points including a crucial basket with 10 seconds left that stretched the lead to four.
Their energy mirrored the late-season surge that helped Atlanta secure playoff positioning after the All-Star break and it showed again when the Hawks needed it most.
McCollum also maintained composure after a heated third-quarter exchange with Jose Alvarado resulted in technical fouls for both players. Instead of letting the moment derail him, he responded with his strongest stretch of the night.
New York appeared in control for much of the contest.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 14 of his 18 points in the third quarter after a quiet first half, helping the Knicks extend their lead to 78–64 entering the fourth. The advantage still stood at eight points with under five minutes remaining.
Brunson finished with 29 points, continuing his steady postseason production, while Josh Hart contributed a strong all-around effort with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
But the Knicks couldn’t close the game and historically, that’s rare.
Since the introduction of the shot clock in 1954–55, New York had been 40–1 in playoff games when leading by 12 or more after three quarters. The only previous loss came during the legendary 1994 Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 Knicks vs Pacers, when Reggie Miller erupted for 25 fourth-quarter points.
Until Monday night.
Acquired from Washington in a January deal that sent former Hawks star Trae Young away, McCollum delivered exactly the type of postseason leadership Atlanta hoped for when making the move.
He outplayed Brunson in the second half and guided a comeback that looked unlikely entering the final period.
Now, with the series tied 1–1 and momentum shifting south, the Hawks head home with a chance to take control of the matchup in front of their own crowd a remarkable turnaround after appearing on the brink of a 0–2 hole just minutes earlier.
