NEW YORK — Downstairs, the call was being made for the first bus to leave Madison Square Garden.
Jonathan Kuminga, fresh off a 19-point outburst off the bench, was seated at his locker, shirtless, eating a plate of chips and guacamole (with one chocolate chip cookie on the side), listening to “If I ruled the World” by Nas, featuring Lauryn Hill.
Veteran guard CJ McCollum, fully living out his villain arc, rested both his feet in an ice bath. Just minutes earlier, he had irritated the crowd here to the point of repeatedly serenading him with a chant whose first word rhymes with truck. As in: “Truck you, CJ.”
And as Atlanta Hawks staffers bundled towels and closed down the locker room, general manager Onsi Saleh was sighing.
“We’ll take it,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “My heart rate needs to recover, but we’ll take it.”
Atlanta erased a 12-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to stun the New York Knicks, 107-106, evening its first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
This was a game New York controlled. In 48 minutes, the Hawks held a lead for just 1:25, a 14-second slice in the second quarter and the rest in the game’s final minutes.
The Hawks, meanwhile, were on top for 39:36 seconds.
Moondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.A member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team performs during a time out during the second half of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.Cleveland Brows player Myles Garrett riles up the crowd during the first half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.A fan waves a towel during the second half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.Fans arrive to watch warmups before game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.1 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyMoondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.1 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyMoondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.2 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyA member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team performs during a time out during the second half of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.3 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyCleveland Brows player Myles Garrett riles up the crowd during the first half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.4 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyA fan waves a towel during the second half of game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.5 / 5NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyFans arrive to watch warmups before game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.This was a game when Atlanta’s two premier players, first-time All-Star Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, were the full focus of the Knicks’ defensive attention, where New York’s primary focus was to frustrate them, to contest every sliver of space they had.
This was a game in which, in the second half, the Hawks shot just 1-of-12 (8.3%) from 3-point range.
Yet, veteran McCollum, who was initially presumed to be an afterthought in the trade that shipped Trae Young to the Wizards, dropped 32 points. None was bigger than the fadeaway jumper along the left baseline with 33.3 seconds left, the eventual game-winner, over one of the best defenders in the world, OG Anunoby.
The Hawks pulled off the stunning upset. But can they actually win this series?
The gut reaction would be to assume that Johnson and Alexander-Walker have to produce more. In the first two games of the series, the Knicks have unleashed Josh Hart (as the primary defender on Johnson) and Mikal Bridges (on Alexander-Walker).
And while neither player has posted the explosive point total, Hawks coach Quin Snyder is fine with that — as long as the pair focuses on making positive plays that are in the best interests of the team, particularly Johnson, who went 0-for-4 in the first half for only 4 points.
“I think it’s him just keeping an even keel,” Snyder told reporters after the game. “As the game progressed, he found more of a rhythm; that’s harder to do than maybe coming out and having everything go your way. His ability to grind through those situations — and when that happens, then the ball goes (elsewhere).
“It’s a big thing for Jalen, to understand how important he is and how much we need his offense, but also to be able to recognize there are certain times in the game where he’s playing more of a secondary role.”
Johnson would finish the game with 17 points on an efficient 6-of-12 night, adding 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
It has been a tougher go for Alexander-Walker, who in two games this series has combined to go 9-of-29 (31%) for 26 points.
Snyder has empowered his players to read and react to defenses, to run concepts rather than plays, and the result has been an offense that’s somewhat amorphous and intuitive.
“We’re just guys who play selfless basketball,” Johnson said. “So if we don’t have it going, we’re not going to force our way to bad shots. We’re going to stay aggressive and continue to look for and make the right plays. But there are other ways we can impact the game than score.”