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Knicks Set NBA Playoff Record, Rout Hawks to Reach Second Round

New York built a 47-point halftime lead over Atlanta, the largest in NBA playoff history, en route to the biggest postseason victory in franchise history.

A ticket for Game 1 of the 1989 Eastern Conference Semifinals featuring the Chicago Bulls versus the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on May 9, 1989.
A ticket for Game 1 of the 1989 Eastern Conferenc…      New York Knicks Madison Square Garden    Ticketmaster / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
By Free News Press Editorial Team
Published May 1, 2026 at 7:50 AM PDT

The New York Knicks did not just beat the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6. They buried them.

New York set an NBA playoff record with a 47-point halftime lead on their way to the most lopsided postseason win in franchise history, clinching the series and a berth in the second round.

The 47-point margin at the half surpassed any halftime deficit in playoff history. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks had produced a result that will be difficult to forget regardless of what comes next in their postseason run.

Atlanta had no answer for New York's offense and struggled on the other end as the Knicks built the kind of lead that turns a playoff game into an exercise in damage control. The Hawks' season is now over.

For the Knicks, the second round awaits. New York advances having closed out the series with a performance that set the standard for every team still playing.

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.
Opening on February 11, 1968, it is the l
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG a…      New York Knicks Madison Square Garden    Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)