Monday night's NBA playoff slate produced two comeback wins and one embarrassing collapse. In New York, the Atlanta Hawks erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Knicks 107-106 at Madison Square Garden, evening their first-round series at one game each. In Denver, the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied past the Nuggets 119-114 to also even their series at 1-1.
The Knicks' loss drew immediate scrutiny toward head coach Mike Brown. According to CBS Sports, New York had not blown a lead that large with so little time remaining in a home playoff game since 1994 against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks held double-digit leads in both halves before the wheels came off in the final four minutes. Brown, in his first season replacing Tom Thibodeau, had made measurable improvements during the regular season — better shot selection, more ball movement, deeper rotation — but none of it mattered Monday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns was on the floor for the late collapse, and Brown's decision-making down the stretch drew questions. The Knicks entered the postseason with high expectations after their owner publicly floated Finals ambitions. A Game 2 loss at home to a team they were favored to beat is not how Brown wanted his playoff debut to go.
In Denver, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points, and Julius Randle added 24 as Minnesota erased a first-game deficit to take the series to a coin flip. The Nuggets had won Game 1 116-105 on Saturday. Games 3 and 4 now shift to Minneapolis, with Game 3 scheduled for Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Prime Video.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team through two games to hold a series lead, beating the Toronto Raptors 115-105 on Monday to go up 2-0. Three more Game 2s are on the schedule for Tuesday: Celtics vs. 76ers at 7 p.m., Spurs vs. Trail Blazers at 8 p.m., and Lakers vs. Rockets at 10:30 p.m.
