The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks head into Game 3 tied 1-1 after two games that have already flipped the series. New York won Game 1, 113-102, but Atlanta answered in Game 2 with a 107-106 escape after erasing a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit.
The swing sent the series to Atlanta with the Hawks holding home-court advantage for Game 3. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have continued to lead the Knicks, while Atlanta has leaned on CJ McCollum, who scored 32 points in Game 2, and a deep supporting cast that kept the pressure on late.
What made Game 2 harder for New York was not just the final margin but the way it unraveled. The Knicks had built a 12-point lead and, by the numbers, had been one of the better teams at closing games during the regular season. Instead, they let Atlanta keep chipping away, and the Hawks finished with the late run that stole the game and shifted control of the series.
The contrast between the teams is already clear. New York has had the edge in rebounding and overall consistency, but Atlanta has leaned into momentum swings and scoring bursts from its backcourt and wings. That style has kept the Hawks alive in games that looked out of reach, and it is exactly what made the first two contests feel so different from one another.
Now the series enters Game 3 in Atlanta with both sides knowing how much one quarter can change. For the Knicks, the task is simple: turn their steadier baseline into a finish. For the Hawks, the formula is just as clear, because they have already shown they can survive the early punch and make the final minutes count.
