04/20/26 10:05:00
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04/20 22:04 CDT CJ McCollum leads a late rally as the Hawks stun the Knicks
107-106 to tie their series at 1-1
CJ McCollum leads a late rally as the Hawks stun the Knicks 107-106 to tie
their series at 1-1
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- CJ McCollum scored 32 points and the Atlanta Hawks rallied to
stun the New York Knicks 107-106 on Monday night, tying their first-round
playoff series at one game apiece.
McCollum led a late surge that was almost for naught when he missed two free
throws with 5.6 seconds remaining. The Knicks rushed the ball up the court
without any timeouts left, but Mikal Bridges missed a jumper as time expired.
The Hawks had trailed the whole second half and were down 12 after three
quarters. Atlanta chipped away and a basket by McCollum gave the Hawks a
101-100 lead --- their first of the series in the second half --- with 2:09 to
play. He made another for a three-point lead, and after Jalen Brunson tied it
with a 3-pointer, McCollum answered with another jumper to make it 105-103 with
33 seconds to play.
Jonathan Kuminga added 19 points off the bench and Jalen Johnson scored 17,
including a basket with 10 seconds left for a four-point lead for the No. 6
seeds, who host Game 3 on Thursday.
Brunson had 29 points for the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18.
The Knicks are trying to reach the second round for a fourth straight season,
their longest stretch since the 1991-92 to 1999-2000 seasons, and seemed well
on their way.
Towns, who had four points in the first half, scored 14 in the third quarter as
the Knicks extended the lead to 78-64. They were still ahead by eight with
under five minutes remaining.
But their young players who sparked the Hawks' surge after the All-Star break
finally made some plays before McCollum --- ignoring profane jeers after he and
Jose Alvarado went nose-to-nose and were each given technical fouls in the
third quarter --- then closed it out.
McCollum was acquired in the January trade for Trae Young, the Hawks star who
was a former playoff villain at Madison Square Garden. He filled the role
perfectly Monday, outplaying Brunson in the second half and stealing a game
that looked lost.
Josh Hart had 15 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Knicks.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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