Josh Hart of the New York Knicks dunks against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first round NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 20, 2026 in New York City.
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The New York Knicks take on the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
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Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates his three point shot against the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks warms up before Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks passes the ball as Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks defends during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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CJ McCollum #3 of the Atlanta Hawks drives around Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks drives to the net as Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks defends during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks takes a shot as Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks defends during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks and his teammates warm up before the game against the Atlanta Hawks during Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks drives around Mouhamed Gueye #18 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City.
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In the first half, CJ McCollum scored a game-high 18 points for the Hawks in the first half, but no other Atlanta player scored double-digit points. Four Knicks scored at least 10 points in the opening two quarters. Leading that group was Jalen Brunson with a dozen points. Meanwhile, Hawks star Jalen Johnson is struggling. Atlanta’s top player scored only four points, all on free throws, in the first half.
At Madison Square Garden in New York, the Knicks owned a 32-23 lead over the Hawks after the first quarter in Game 2 and a 61-54 advantage after the second.
Game 3 is Thursday in Atlanta.
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9:53 p.m.: Hoping to see a Knicks win, there are plenty of famous faces in the crowd tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Among the celebrities in attendance are actor Timothée Chalamet, gymnast Suni Lee, actor Ben Stiller rapper Fat Joe, Mets owner Steve Cohen and, of course, director Spike Lee.
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9:49 p.m.: Up 77-64 with 7:27 left in the third quarter, the Knicks have six players with at least 10 points.
Josh Hart’s 15 points lead New York.
Knicks stretch lead to double-digits
9:45 p.m.: After free throws from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks lead 75-64 with 7:58 left in the third quarter.
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New York is up 1-0 in this best-of-7 series.
Knicks, Hawks back after halftime
9:39 p.m.: After the break, the teams are back on the floor at Madison Square Garden.
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The Hawks start the third quarter down 61-54.
9:23 p.m.: At the half, some highlights.
CJ McCollum is leading all scorers with 18 points. He scored 11 points in the second quarter.
Jalen Brunson has 12 points to lead New York.
Mitchell Robinson has 11 points for the Knicks, while Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart each have 10 points.
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9:19 p.m.: The Knicks star is heating up.
Jalen Brunson is up to 10 points late in the second quarter.
Knicks, Hawks tied at 48 late in first half
9:13 p.m.: Game 2 is shaping up to be a good one.
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With the Knicks owning a 1-0 lead in the series, the teams are tied 48-48 with 2:58 left in the second quarter.
The Hawks have outscored New York 25-16 in the second quarter.
9:05 p.m.: After Atlanta briefly took a lead, New York has roared back.
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The Knicks are up 45-39 with 5:20 left in the second quarter.
New York is shooting 50% from the field.
Mitchell Robinson leading Knicks
9:02 p.m.: Backup center Mitchell Robinson has scored a game-high 10 points for the Knicks midway through the second quarter.
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Robinson has made 5 of 5 shots from the field.
8:55 p.m.: Atlanta is off to an 11-3 start to the second quarter and has pulled within 35-34 with 8:37 left to halftime.
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CJ McCollum is up to a game-high nine points for Atlanta.
8:51 p.m.: The Hawks have scored five of the second quarter’s first six points.
New York leads 33-28 early in the period.
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8:45 p.m.: Highlights from the opening period
Mikal Bridges had eight points for the Knicks
Off the bench, Mitchell Robinson scored six points for New York. Also adding six points was Josh Hart.
For the Hawks, CJ McCollum scored seven points.
Late in the quarter, Robinson and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels were involved in a brief skirmish. Robinson walked atop Daniels after setting a pick on him, and the two had words after that. Robinson netted a technical foul for his role in the altercation.
Officials review play, no flagrant called against Hawks
8:33 p.m.: After reviewing a play that saw Jalen Brunson elbowed in the head, a call against Dyson Daniels stays a common foul.
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The Knicks lead 20-13 with 4:09 left in the first quarter.
Hawks’ Mouhamed Gueye suffers apparent injury
8:24 p.m.: After missing a dunk, Atlanta’s Mouhamed Gueye is unable to get up.
The game comes to a stop after a timeout to check on Gueye, who was able to exit the court on his own.
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The Knicks lead 17-9 with 5:33 left in the opening quarter.
Knicks lead Hawks midway through 1st quarter
8:18 p.m.: After a Jalen Brunson 3, Atlanta’s Quin Snyder calls for timeout.
The Knicks are out to a 15-9 lead with 7:05 left in the first quarter.
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Josh Hart leads the Knicks with six points.
Josh Hart adding early offense
8:15 p.m.: Not always a scorer for the Knicks, Josh Hart is off to a great start.
He has four early points, including two from an emphatic jam, and the Knicks are out to a 10-4 lead.
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8:09 p.m.: With a 1-0 series lead, the Knicks are trying to find their way to a 2-0 start in their best-of-7 series with the Hawks.
New York is a -235 money-line favorite tonight, according to Fanduel.
The Knicks lead the best-of-7 series 1-0 ahead of tonight’s 8 p.m. game. Here are tonight’s starting lineups.
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OG Anunoby
Mikal Bridges
Jalen Brunson
Josh Hart
Karl-Anthony Towns
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Dyson Daniels
Jalen Johnson
CJ McCollum
Onyeka Okongwu
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The officiating crew for tonight’s game is Zach Zarba (crew chief), Karl Lane (referee), John Butler (umpire) and Mousa Dagher (alternate).
Through one game in every series, there have been 23 players to score at least 20 points.
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In the Knicks vs. Hawks series, four players have reached that mark.
Cade Cunningham, Pistons, 39
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs, 35
Donovan Mitchell, Cavs, 32
Deni Avdija, Blazers, 30
Jamal Murray, Nuggets, 30
Jalen Brunson, Knicks, 28
Luke Kennard, Lakers, 27
Jaylen Brown, Celtics, 26
CJ McCollum, Hawks, 26
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder, 25
Nikola Jokić, Nuggets, 25
Jayson Tatum, Celtics, 25
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks, 25
RJ Barrett, Raptors, 24
Max Strus, Cavs, 24
Paolo Banchero, Magic, 23
Devin Booker, Suns, 23
Jalen Johnson, Hawks, 23
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves, 22
James Harden, Cavs, 22
Jalen Williams, Thunder, 22
Scottie Barnes, Raptors, 21
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers, 21
Hawks starting center Onyeka Okongwu is listed as questionable for tonight’s 8 p.m. game against the Knicks. Okongwu, who scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Game 1, is dealing with right-knee inflammation and will be a game-time decision for head coach Quin Snyder.
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The Hawks are already thin in the frontcourt, with center Jock Landale out with an ankle injury and not expected to return until at least May 2. If Okongwu is unable to play, the Hawks will likely rely on backup center Mouhamed Gueye for more minutes. Gueye scored three points and grabbed three rebounds in 11 minutes in Game 1.
As of Monday late afternoon, the Knicks were -260 favorites tonight against the Hawks, according to Fanduel. The game’s over/under total is 217.5 and the Knicks are favored by 6.5 points.
Moneyline: -260
To win the series: -450
To win the title: +2200
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Moneyline: +215
To win the series: +350
To win the title: +22500
Tonight’s 8 p.m. ET game between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks is being broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
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Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson (28 points, 7 assists) started Game 1 on a tear, hitting his first six shots and scoring 19 points in the first quarter and 22 in the first half. In the second half, Brunson used the pick-and-roll, and big man Karl-Anthony Towns took over, scoring 19 of his 25 points and energizing the Madison Square Garden crowd down the stretch.
The Knicks’ top two regular-season scorers, Brunson (25 ppg) and Towns (20.1 ppg), have improved their chemistry on and off the court since the duo became teammates in 2024.
“I think we’ve grown as teammates, we’ve grown as friends, and it’s contributing to the way we’re playing,” Brunson said.
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Saturday’s 113-102 win over the Hawks was Mike Brown’s first career playoff victory as head coach of the Knicks. Brown, who served as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr during the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty, is no stranger to playoff atmospheres. Still, he couldn’t help but notice the fans’ energy at Madison Square Garden.
“It always feels special walking into MSG; you know, I pinch myself every time I walk in,” he said. “You can feel the energy of the fans, you can feel the energy of the building, you can feel the energy from fans even outside, so it’s definitely different.”
The best-of-seven series continues tonight, with New York leading 1-0.
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Game 1: New York 113, Atlanta 102
Game 2: Monday at New York, 8 p.m., NBC
Game 3: Thursday at Atlanta, 7 p.m., Prime Video
Game 4: Saturday, April 25 at Atlanta, 6 p.m., NBC
Game 5: Tuesday, April 28 at New York, TBA*
Game 6: Thursday, April 30 at Atlanta, TBA*
Game 7: Saturday, May 2 at New York, TBA*
Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks in the regular season.
Jalen Brunson is averaging 25.4 points and 8.5 assists over his past 10 games.
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Dyson Daniels scored 11.9 points per game and averaged 6.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game during the regular season for the Hawks.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 24.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists over his past 10 games.
The Knicks won the regular-season series against the Hawks 2-1.
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April 6: Knicks 108, Hawks 105
Jan. 2: Hawks 111, Knicks 99
Dec. 27: Knicks 128, Hawks 125