Daniels ejected as Hawks demoralised in Game 6

Australian Dyson Daniels ejected as Knicks crush Hawks in Game 6 to seal 4–2 series win

Australian Dyson Daniels’ 2025-26 season ended acrimoniously for both him and the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs on Friday, May 1, 2026 (AEDT).

Daniels, 22, was ejected for getting into it with New York Knicks centre Mitchell Robinson with 4:39 left in the second quarter, with the road team up 72-22 (not a typo).

The Knicks won the series 4-2 on the 140-89 blowout.

Daniels and Robinson were boxing each other out when Robinson raised his elbow head-high on Dyson, and they got tangled up for the second time in the series.

But this time, it escalated, with both players going chest-to-chest as both teams tried to separate them.

The melee rolled into the front row as Daniels and Robinson tried to get to each other. It calmed for a brief moment, but Daniels went back again as they jawed at each other.

Jalen Brunson’s father, Rick, who played in the NBL in the mid-90s, ushered Robinson away after falling on the floor in the scuffle.

Daniels’ teammate, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, played peacemaker after being awarded the 2025-26 Most Improved Player before tip-off. It was the award Daniels won last year.

Game 6: New York Knicks 140 def. Atlanta Hawks 89 (Final)

State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA
Halftime: New York 83–36

Game Snapshot

Quarter Scores: 40–15, 43–21, 34–28, 23–25
Largest Lead: New York by 54
Game Flow: Total control from opening tip; series sealed by halftime
Series Result: 2026 NBA Eastern Conference First Round – Knicks win 4–2

Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges combined to break Game 6 open early as the New York Knicks overwhelmed the Atlanta Hawks 140–89 to close the series 4–2.

New York dropped 83 first-half points and shot 59% from the field, turning the elimination game into a one-sided finish before halftime.

Bridges delivered one of the most efficient playoff performances of the round:

24 points on 10-from-12 shooting+40 plus-minus in just 27 minutes

Brunson added control and tempo:

17 points, 8 assists, 0 turnovers

OG Anunoby was equally dominant in limited minutes:

29 points on 11-from-14 shooting4-from-6 from three+42Daniels ejected as tensions boil over

Atlanta guard Dyson Daniels played just 15 minutes before being ejected in the first half following an on-court altercation with Mitchell Robinson.

Daniels finished:

3 points │ 1-from-4 FG │ 1-from-3 3PT │ 2 turnovers │ 1 steal │ -36

The incident came with the game already out of reach, reflecting the frustration of a Hawks group that never found rhythm offensively.

Atlanta shot just 38% from the field and 26% from three, unable to generate consistent half-court offence or transition opportunities.

Jalen Johnson was the lone bright spot:

21 points │ 8 rebounds │ 6 assists

But the Hawks were outmatched in every key category:

Field Goals: 50–31Assists: 33–22Turnovers: Hawks 19Plus-minus: All starters -24 or worse

New York’s system overwhelmed Atlanta:

33 assists on 50 field goalsNine players scoredBench combined for 44 points

Karl-Anthony Towns added a near triple-double:

12 points │ 11 rebounds │ 10 assistsBy the Numbers

New York Knicks

FG: 50–85 (59%) │ 3PT: 13–36 (36%) │ FT: 27–34 (79%)Rebounds: 46 │ Assists: 33 │ Turnovers: 9

Atlanta Hawks

FG: 31–82 (38%) │ 3PT: 9–35 (26%) │ FT: 18–23 (78%)Rebounds: 35 │ Assists: 22 │ Turnovers: 19