New York Knicks secure physical Game 1 victory over Atlanta Hawks
Jalen Brunson scored 28 points to guide the New York Knicks to a physical 113-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the opening game of their Eastern Conference first-round play-off series at Madison Square Garden.
The All-Star point guard dominated early, racking up 22 points before half-time as the hosts built a commanding 19-point advantage.
Despite enduring a difficult second half where he failed to hit a single shot from seven attempts, the former Dallas Maverick facilitated effectively to keep the visitors at bay.
A brutal and bruising encounter
The matchup proved to be a punishing affair with several high-impact collisions overshadowing the later stages.
The Knicks’ star talisman was inadvertently kicked in the groin area by C.J. McCollum during the third quarter, resulting in a technical foul.
Karl-Anthony Towns also absorbed a heavy blow to the head from Jonathan Kuminga on a rebound, while backup centre Mitchell Robinson was struck on a drive to the basket.
“It was a hard-fought win. It was physical. It was a grind-it-out game.”
Those were the thoughts of the New York floor general, who emphasised the importance of finding alternative ways to impact the game when his shooting cooled.
Towns and tenacious defence secure the win
With their primary scorer struggling after the break, the home side relied on their supporting cast and formidable perimeter defence.
Towns stepped up significantly in the closing stages, finishing the night with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
On the defensive end, the hosts successfully stifled Most Improved Player candidate Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The dangerous Atlanta guard, who averaged almost 21 points during the regular season, was restricted to just 17 points on six-for-17 shooting.
Snyder’s unwanted sense of deja vu
The standout performance fell exactly four years after Brunson registered his first 40-point play-off game against a Utah Jazz side managed by current Atlanta head coach Quin Snyder.
“It was in some ways foreshadowing, you could feel it. You knew when he was doing some of the things he was doing in that series, it was there.”
Snyder reflected before tip-off on the early glimpses of brilliance that have now fully blossomed in the Big Apple.
While scoring remains his primary weapon, the versatile playmaker has increasingly embraced a distributor role, averaging nearly nine assists per game since the beginning of March.
