Jalen Brunson scored 39 points to lift the host New York Knicks to a 126-97 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
New York holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Knicks will look to advance to the conference semifinals on Thursday when they play Game 6 in Atlanta.
“(We have) the right mindset,” Brunson said. “Now this (game) is over with. We won. It’s 3-2 now. As soon as we get to the back, we’ll flush it and get ready for Game 6.”
Brunson made 15 of 23 shots from the floor and added eight assists against one turnover for New York, which shot a robust 57% from the field.
OG Anunoby contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who held a decisive 48-27 edge on the boards and a 60-42 advantage in points in the paint.
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns collected 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists on the heels of recording 20, 10 and 10, respectively, in the Knicks’ 114-98 victory at Atlanta in Game 4 on Saturday.
“Between the two of them, 22 defensive rebounds,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said of Anunoby and Towns.” They both had a double-double. They were phenomenal.”
“The toughest game is the one that ends someone’s season,” Towns said on the importance of needing another big effort in Game 6. “We know we’re going to have to be even more desperate, we’re gonna have to execute at a higher level and play one of our best games if we’re gonna win in Atlanta. It’s gonna take a team effort.”
Jose Alvarado added 12 points off the bench for the Knicks.
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Dyson Daniels had 17 points and Onyeka Okongwu and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each had 16 for the Hawks, who shot 31% (13 of 42) from 3-point range and were limited to just four fastbreak points.
Atlanta’s CJ McCollum continued to struggle after playing the role of hero in Games 2 and 3. He followed up his 17-point performance in Game 4 with just six points on 3-of-10 shooting from the floor on Tuesday.
“They did what they were supposed to do, protected home court,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them.”
Johnson’s dunk pulled Atlanta within 23-20 before New York went on a 12-2 run to end the first quarter. The Hawks didn’t do themselves any favors by making just 1 of 8 attempts from 3-point range in the opening period.
The Knicks extended their lead to 59-37 after Anunoby’s steal led to Brunson’s layup with 3:08 remaining in the second quarter. The Hawks, however, closed the quarter on an 11-5 run to get within 64-48 at halftime.
New York led by 18 points in the third quarter while giving Brunson and Towns a breather. Brunson, however, scored eight points during a 12-0 Knicks run during the fourth quarter that effectively ended any faint hopes Atlanta had for a comeback.
–Field Level Media
