The New York Knicks had the lead in the closing minute. They had clawed back from a significant first-half deficit and put themselves in position to take the series lead heading into Game 4.
Then CJ McCollum stepped in.
His go-ahead fadeaway jump shot, released with 12.5 seconds left on the clock, made it 109-108 to the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks held the ball on the final possession and could not score. Atlanta took a 2-1 first-round series lead.
This was a game that could have gone either way. That it did not is down to one player willing to take a contested shot in the most important moment of the night.
How Atlanta built their position
Jalen Johnson drove Atlanta’s performance. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, operating as the Hawks’ most complete player across all four quarters. His combination of scoring and creation gave the Knicks’ defence a problem they could not solve with one assignment.
Jonathan Kuminga added 21 points off relentless movement and aggression around the basket. CJ McCollum, acquired from Washington in January, contributed 23 points. Three different contributors. Three performances that held up under pressure. That balance is Atlanta’s strength in this series.
The Hawks built an 18-point first-half lead. They did not hold it cleanly, but they held it long enough.
How New York fought back
A first-half deficit of 18 points is significant at any level, particularly in the playoffs where teams are typically better prepared. The Knicks turned to their best players.
OG Anunoby top-scored for New York with 29 points. Jalen Brunson added 26. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 21. Those three players combined for 76 points. It was a genuine collective effort and it nearly worked.
Brunson’s play in the closing minutes was the most significant. He created contact, converted at the free-throw line, and gave the Knicks a lead with 1:03 remaining. In a playoff context, that sequence typically holds. It did not hold here, because McCollum was prepared to answer.
McCollum’s moment
CJ McCollum has played in postseason environments throughout a long career that included significant time with Portland and New Orleans. He has been in the situation of needing to create his own shot against a set defence late in a close game.
On this occasion, the Atlanta coaching staff ran a play to get McCollum an opportunity in the mid-post area. He created separation, released the shot over a contested hand, and hit it. Go-ahead, 109-108, 12.5 seconds left.
The Hawks defended the final possession without incident. Knicks 108, Hawks 109. Final.
That is what postseason basketball distils to in its closing seconds: someone has to hit a difficult shot. McCollum hit it.
Series picture heading into Game 4
Atlanta lead 2-1. The Hawks have won both games at State Farm Arena in this series, while the Knicks took Game 2 away. That home/road split is a familiar pattern in first-round playoff series, and it suggests this one may run to six or seven games if the Knicks can level at 2-2.
The Knicks have the offensive capability to beat any team in this first-round bracket. Brunson is the most complete individual player on either side. But New York have not yet found a consistent defensive answer for Atlanta’s balanced scoring: Johnson, Kuminga, and McCollum operating across three different areas require specific attention, and the Knicks have not managed to provide all three simultaneously for 48 minutes.
Game 4 is the first genuine test of whether Atlanta can extend their series advantage or whether the Knicks will push this all the way.
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