The Atlanta Hawks took a 2-1 series lead over the New York Knicks on Thursday night when CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left in Game 3.
Atlanta held on for a second straight one-point victory over New York on Thursday night at State Farm Arena, taking a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series and leaving the Knicks to regroup before Game 4 on Saturday.
CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga delivered the closing plays when they mattered most, a notable turn given that neither player was on the Hawks roster when the season began. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York's marquee options in crunch time, did not have the final answers.
The Hawks built a double-digit lead that held for nearly half the game before the Knicks rallied in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to one before Atlanta survived a final possession. The pattern echoed Game 2, which Atlanta also won by a single point, 107-106, on a Mikal Bridges buzzer attempt that fell short.
In that Game 2 win, McCollum scored 26 points. He followed with a game-high 32 in Game 3. Brunson led New York with 29 points in Game 2, and all five Knicks starters reached double figures, but the team's road issues have continued. New York went 6-3 in road playoff games last season, but that history has not carried over to this series.
The Knicks are now 17-26 against the spread as a road team this season, the worst mark in the NBA. The under has also hit in both games of the series, with the total set at 216.5 points for Game 3.
Knicks coach Mike Brown did not treat the deficit as a crisis. "I told our players it's a seven-game series for a reason," he said. "Stuff's gonna happen. We gave ourselves a chance despite not playing our best basketball."
Atlanta's expected starting lineup has McCollum at point guard alongside Nickeil Walker-Alexander, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. New York counters with Brunson, Josh Hart, Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Towns. Neither team has reported injuries ahead of Game 4.
Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena, broadcast on Peacock and NBC.
The shot was the difference in a tight first-round playoff contest that swung Atlanta's way late. McCollum, brought in to provide veteran scoring punch, delivered exactly that at the moment it mattered most. The Knicks were unable to answer before the final buzzer.
Atlanta now controls the series and holds home-court advantage heading into Game 4.