Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns prove too much for the new-look Atlanta rotation.
New York City, NY – The 2026 NBA Playoffs officially arrived at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and the hometown crowd was not disappointed. The New York Knicks defended their floor with a 113-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks, led by a clinical 28-point performance from Jalen Brunson and a dominant second half from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Despite a valiant effort from CJ McCollum (26 points) and Jalen Johnson (23 points), the Hawks’ new-look rotation struggled to find an answer for New York’s interior depth in the closing minutes. With Game 2 set for Monday night, can Atlanta’s “two-way” chemistry bridge the gap, or is New York already on a collision course for the second round?