NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson hadn’t yet delivered a signature game in the New York Knicks’ first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. Game 5 seemed like the perfect time to remedy that.
Brunson’s 39 points was, by far, his best showing of the series, and it coincided with the Knicks’ all-around domination of the Hawks on Tuesday night in a 126-97 win at Madison Square Garden. New York took a 3-2 lead with a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday.
It was the second straight complete performance by the Knicks after two one-point losses, and perhaps Brunson had the Hawks’ Game 2 visit in mind when they stunned the Knicks with a fourth-quarter rally to steal home-court advantage.
Brunson closed out the evening with 17 in the fourth to help the Knicks win comfortably.
“The ball went in, but just happy we were able to keep the lead,” Brunson said. “They’re a team that’s capable of going on runs, as you know, from early in the series. But I liked the way we played in the fourth and kept the lead.”
Some of Brunson’s highest-scoring exploits have occurred late in playoff series since becoming a Knick. He had three straight 40-point games in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2024, a 40-point game against Detroit last year to clinch the series in Game 6, and one of his best, a 39-point, 12-assist performance against Boston last year in the second round to give the Knicks a 3-1 lead.
This one wasn’t as dramatic, but it was necessary for him as much as it was for the Knicks. Brunson came into Game 5 with two sub-40% shooting games while being hounded by long, rangy Hawks guard Dyson Daniels.
But after Karl-Anthony Towns picked the Hawks apart with a triple-double Sunday, Hawks coach Quin Snyder put Daniels on Towns, leaving Brunson with more room to breathe for the first time in this series.
OG Anunoby continued his unsung production, with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Towns added 16 with 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.
“It’s like a chess match,” Brunson said. “If someone makes a move, you’ve got to make another move. You’ve got to wait to see what they do. The way we play, we’ve got to be ready for anything.”
The Knicks have dominated the past two games since falling behind in the series, the wins coming by an average of 22.5 points. The Knicks have limited the Hawks to just 42.7% from the field and 27.7% from the 3-point line over the two games.
As a result, they limited Hawks veteran guard CJ McCollum to six points, his lowest output since becoming a member of the Hawks in January.
“It’s been a multitude of things. We picked it up as a unit,” Brunson said. “They’ve also gotten a lot of looks. and we were lucky they were missing. I think us being on the same page, both sides of the ball, was a factor.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown called Brunson’s performance “phenomenal” and said he believes this team has developed tough skin through a rocky first round.
“You’ve got to go through some adversity through the course of the year and see what you’re made of, see how you’ll respond,” Brown said. “The guys have been through a lot so far this year and continue to go through it. They’ve been through it as a group. There’s nothing that will deter this group, this veteran group.”
With the Boston Celtics losing a potential closeout Game 5 against Philadelphia at home, the Knicks and Celtics are in position to have the same amount of rest should both take care of business on the road Thursday night. They’ve been on a collision course seemingly all season.
“Throughout the course of the playoff run, you have to be smart. Rest is a big deal,” Brown said. “The physicality of the game is another level, so trying to give your guys the ability to recoup, not just their minds but their bodies as well, is something we really lean on.”
