After a resounding 114-98 win against the Hawks on Saturday in Atlanta, the Knicks regained homecourt advantage in their first-round playoff series. That wasn’t the only thing.
The Knicks rediscovered their mojo after two close losses. After notable performances from Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, New York has a chance to take a 3-2 series lead on Tuesday night.
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Here are three keys ahead of Game 5 at Madison Square Garden…
Point KAT
It’s been a season of push-and-pull between head coach Mike Brown and Towns.
The All-Star has slowly become more acclimated to a role where he is more of an offensive hub with the power to score and facilitate. Towns had the first playoff triple-double of his career in Game 4, notching 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Towns has also been more under control over the last few months — he had just two turnovers on Saturday.
It was clear from the jump that the Knicks wanted to emphasize Towns as an initiator of the offense, and he excelled. New York found comfort in repeatedly having the big man with the ball at the top of the key, and Anunoby making a lex cut off a screen from Jalen Brunson. Since Atlanta was looking to prevent Jalen Johnson from switching onto Brunson, it opened up several easy passes for Towns to make for Anunoby at the rim.
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The trouble with performances like these is consistency. Can the Knicks continue to operate the offense through Towns on Tuesday night? Or will they revert to a bogged down offense?
Going into Game 5, the Knicks should continue running the offense through Towns. As we saw on Saturday, he doesn’t need to score on every play, but the attention he draws should continue to open up opportunities for his teammates.
Halfcourt series
When this series has been played in the halfcourt, the Knicks have the advantage.
After giving up 20 fast break points in Game 3, New York held the Hawks to just seven in Game 4. Many of those quick strike opportunities came after the game was in hand. One of the keys to controlling the pace comes from mitigating turnovers.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
New York had 10 turnovers through the third quarter in Game 4. Four of the turnovers were live-ball miscues, limiting opportunities for the Hawks to run out. Also, in some of the live-ball turnovers, New York did a good job of getting back to limit easy scoring opportunities.
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One concern has been Brunson’s struggles with full court pressure. Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels gave the Knicks captain fits as he brought the ball up in Game 4. Brunson finished the night with six turnovers, as the Knicks made more of a concerted effort to have Hart bring the ball up.
If New York can keep Atlanta in the halfcourt, the team should have control of this series the rest of the way.
Scoring leap
Anunoby has been New York’s most consistent player in the postseason. Through four games, the Knicks forward is averaging 20.8 points on 56 percent from the field and 8.8 rebounds. It’s arguably the best stretch of the nine-year veteran’s career.
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Anunoby has made an impact on both ends, making him a must-have on the court. He played a game-high 40 minutes on Saturday, scoring 22 points and collecting 10 rebounds.
Defensively, he’s been the defensive force that the Knicks have come to expect every night. With Hart moving over to guard CJ McCollum more often, we’ve seen an increased amount of Anunoby defending Johnson.
That two-way play has been successful. In 152 minutes with Anunoby on the court during the first round, New York has a net rating of plus-6.7, per NBA Stats. When he has been off the floor, the Knicks have been outscored by 1.2 points per 100 possessions.
Amid Mikal Bridges‘ struggles and subsequent decrease in playing time in the series, Anunoby’s continued production on both ends has been paramount to picking up wins.