CJ McCollum, Hawks stun Knicks with fourth-quarter rally to tie series

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksFirst-Round PredictionsHollinger's Playoff PreviewThe Bucks' Season From HellPlayer Poll: Who Will Win Title?NBA Playoffs Mikal Bridges missed a potential game-winning midrange jumper as time expired Monday night. Al Bello / Getty Images Share article17CJ McCollum took control down the stretch, and the Atlanta Hawks clawed back late to stun the New York Knicks with a 107-106 road win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Monday at Madison Square Garden. McCollum scored a game-high 32 points to lead the Hawks back from a 14-point second-half deficit and tie the series 1-1. Game 3 is set for Thursday night in Atlanta. McCollum’s driving layup with 2:08 to play gave Atlanta its first lead since the second quarter. McCollum later missed a pair of free throws with the Hawks nursing a one-point lead with 5.6 seconds remaining. But Knicks forward Mikal Bridges missed a potential game-winning midrange baseline jumper as time expired. Atlanta outscored New York 28-15 in the fourth quarter. On a night where almost no one else on his team seemed able to find their shot and the Hawks got down by as much as 14, McCollum caught fire. With a 32-point performance and some in-game beef with Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, McCollum carried Atlanta. From the looks of it, he’ll need to have his cape ready for Game 3 as well. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who was named a finalist for Most Improved Player this week, has been missing in action offensively against the Knicks. He increased his scoring average by over double figures this season but is shooting well under 40 percent in the series so far. Entering Monday, he had not shot under 50 percent in consecutive games in almost two months (since late February, a seven-game streak that ended on Feb. 24). After a mostly quiet game, Alexander-Walker had a critical steal late as the Hawks completed their stunning rally. Atlanta isn’t spending the fourth quarter clawing its way back if Alexander-Walker contributes early and often. The Hawks need their most improved player to step up and shoot like hell (but in a good way!) to keep up with New York for the series. — Shakeia Taylor The Knicks gave the Hawks opportunity after opportunity to steal Game 2, and Atlanta gladly obliged. The Knicks were dreadful in nearly every facet of the loss, but none more critical than at the free-throw line (New York went 17-for-27), first-half turnovers (the Knicks had eight) and poor 3-point shooting (New York hit just 11 of 34). Furthermore, Mike Brown’s decision to play six minutes in the first half with neither Jalen Brunson nor Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor hurt New York immensely. The Hawks were able to tie the score after trailing by 11 points at one point in the first half. In the second half, with both Brunson and Towns in foul trouble, Brown did it again, and while it wasn’t as detrimental a stint, the Knicks still weren’t able to pull away. New York shot itself in the foot throughout the contest. Leaving 10 points at the free-throw line, especially when Mitchell Robinson only took two, was damaging. Mikal Bridges missed several open 3s. Despite the series being tied, New York still hasn’t played a great game. The Knicks are more talented than the Hawks and will likely win because of that, but things will get dicey if they keep beating themselves as they did on Monday. — James L. Edwards III The surprising part of the Knicks’ second-quarter — yes, second-quarter — collapse Monday wasn’t the lineup Brown deployed. Brown has been rolling with his two best players, Brunson and Towns, on the bench for a few games now, dating back into the regular season. Instead, it was how he stuck with it. With 8:37 to go in the second quarter, Brown called a timeout. The Townsless, and Brunsonless, lineup had let a nine-point advantage at the end of the first period slip to just one in three and a half minutes. And yet, when they broke the huddle, Brunson and Towns sat there on the bench. They stayed on the bench for six more minutes in the fourth quarter. The Knicks lost those minutes by six total points in a game they lost by one. Because, for some reason, they married themselves to a lineup without a significant creator against a Hawks team that lives to get into passing lanes. The Knicks have to clean up their rotations come Game 3. — Fred Katz The Hawks knew they had five players they could trust when this series began. Do they now have six? Jonathan Kuminga made a strong case for himself, both for the rest of these playoffs and for his future in Atlanta, by playing 35 minutes off the bench and scoring 19 points Monday. He had not played more than 30 minutes in any game as a Hawk before this one. Notably, Kuminga played the entire fourth quarter instead of usual starter Dyson Daniels. The Hawks, who are accustomed to their starting five rolling up big advantages that are offset by negatives from the bench, were plus-10 in Kuminga’s minutes in a game they won by a single point. While McCollum made the big shots late, Kuminga’s role was massive. He got the rally started with a steal that set up a Corey Kispert layup and gave the Hawks, down 12 after three quarters, some life. He had a rim-rocking dunk two minutes later, then hit Onyeka Okongwu for a slam on the next trip. As the Hawks continued to rally, he bullied Jordan Clarkson for a bucket and-1 with a tough left-handed finish, then roasted Brunson with an explosive drive in semi-transition for a layup. Defensively, Kuminga guarded Towns most of the fourth quarter and did commendable work and also spiked a Brunson attempt at the rim. Perhaps equally notable was what Kuminga didn’t do: Force shots or make game plan errors. Atlanta has a $24 million team option on Kuminga this offseason that could go several different directions, especially because the Hawks have had a relatively small sample of games to work with him. Monday, however, was a definitive statement that he can not only be a big part of this series, but a big part of the Hawks’ future beyond it. — John Hollinger Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms