CJ McCollum Leads Atlanta Hawks To Stun New York Knicks 107-106, Tie Series 1-1

The Atlanta Hawks stunned the New York Knicks 107-106 in Game 2 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, tying their first-round series at one game apiece.

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CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 32 points and six assists, and his fourth-quarter surge included “three critical buckets in the final 2:08,” culminating in a go-ahead step-back jumper over OG Anunoby with 34 seconds left.

Al Jazeera

ESPN described how the Knicks threatened to pull away after leading by 14 in the third quarter, but the Hawks responded after trailing 80-66 in that period.

The New York Times reported that McCollum’s driving layup with 2:08 to play gave Atlanta its first lead since the second quarter, and it said Atlanta outscored New York 28-15 in the fourth.

Al Jazeera added that the Hawks ended on a 15-6 run to even the best-of-seven series at a game apiece, with Game 3 scheduled for Thursday night in Atlanta.

The Associated Press account in The Spec said McCollum scored 32 points and that the Hawks rallied to stun New York, while also noting he missed “two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining.”

In the closing moments, Mikal Bridges missed a potential game-winning midrange baseline jumper as time expired, and the Knicks rushed the ball up the court without any timeouts left, according to multiple accounts.

Multiple reports converged on the same turning points: Atlanta’s late-game execution, New York’s inability to sustain offense, and a sequence of missed opportunities at the line and in the final shot.

ESPN said McCollum scored “three critical buckets in the final 2:08,” including the go-ahead step-back jumper over OG Anunoby with 34 seconds left, and it emphasized that the Hawks shot 72% in the fourth.

ESPN

Al Jazeera described the sequence in more granular terms, saying Atlanta scored on its next three possessions to pull within 100-99 on Jalen Johnson’s layup with 3:25 remaining, then McCollum drove past Brunson for the go-ahead layup with 2:08 left.

It also reported that OG Anunoby missed two free throws, and that after McCollum hit a short jumper, Brunson sank a 3-pointer to tie at 103-103.

The New York Times similarly said McCollum missed “a pair of free throws with the Hawks nursing a one-point lead with 5.6 seconds remaining,” and it pointed to Mikal Bridges missing a potential game-winning midrange baseline jumper as time expired.

USA Today highlighted that Atlanta erased a 12-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to stun New York 107-106, and it said the Hawks held a lead for just 1:25 in the game.

The Spec’s Associated Press write-up added that the Hawks had trailed the whole second half and were down 12 after three quarters, before McCollum’s basket gave Atlanta a 101-100 lead with 2:09 to play.

Beyond the scoreboard, the game featured confrontations that spilled into the stands and into officiating, with McCollum at the center of the most visible moments.

“NEW YORK -- There's a long list of Madison Square Garden villains, players who revel in torturing New York Knicks fans in high-leverage situations”

ESPN

ESPN said McCollum “even elicited expletive-laced chants from the MSG crowd,” describing them as usually reserved for former Hawks guard Trae Young, after he got into a verbal back-and-forth with Knicks backup guard Jose Alvarado.

It added that “leading to both receiving offsetting technical fouls,” and it included McCollum’s explanation of his role in the atmosphere: “I'm no villain, I'm a nice guy with two kids and a wife.”

ESPN also quoted McCollum saying, “I think it's admiration. Great, passionate fans in a hostile environment. It's fun, it's basketball, it's the playoffs. If anything, I think it's a sign of respect.”

USA Today described the chants in more detail, saying McCollum was “fully living out his villain arc” and that the crowd serenaded him with “Truck you, CJ.”

It also quoted Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh telling USA TODAY Sports, “We’ll take it,” while saying, “My heart rate needs to recover, but we’ll take it.”

The Spec’s Associated Press account said McCollum and Jose Alvarado went “nose-to-nose and were each given technical fouls in the third quarter,” and it included a direct quote from Josh Hart: “This is a game we should have won,” and “In the playoffs you can’t give away games.”

After the loss, the Knicks and Hawks each offered explanations that reflected their own framing of what went wrong or right in Game 2.

ESPN quoted Knicks coach Mike Brown saying, “Down the stretch, we got some pretty good looks. We got the ball in the right players' hands,” and it added his conclusion: “We just didn't convert.”

Newsday

USA Today quoted Hawks coach Quin Snyder on Jalen Johnson’s role, saying, “I think it’s him just keeping an even keel,” and it continued with Snyder’s description that “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.”

USA Today also included Johnson’s own quote about how the Hawks play when shots aren’t falling: “We’re just guys who play selfless basketball,” and it added, “So if we don’t have it going, we’re not going to force our way to bad shots.”

The New York Times offered a different angle on New York’s collapse, pointing to New York’s free-throw line struggles, including that New York went “17-for-27,” and it said New York hit “just 11 of 34” from 3.

The Spec’s Associated Press write-up included a direct quote from Josh Hart, saying, “This is a game we should have won,” and it added, “In the playoffs you can’t give away games.”

Together, the quotes show a Knicks team emphasizing missed conversion opportunities, while the Hawks emphasized role clarity, selflessness, and grinding through late-game situations.

With Game 2 decided at Madison Square Garden, the series now shifts to Atlanta for Game 3, and the stakes are framed as immediate because the series is tied 1-1.

ESPN said the game “promises to be an intense environment for Game 3 on Thursday in Atlanta,” and it tied that expectation to the chippier tone that developed over the first two games.

Santa Fe New Mexican

Al Jazeera also said “Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday night in Atlanta,” and it described the Hawks’ late surge as a storm-back from an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes.

USA Today framed the next test as whether Atlanta can end the Knicks, asking “Can the Hawks end them?” while also noting that the Knicks will be looking to protect home court after letting Game 2 slip.

The New York Times reported that “Game 3 is set for Thursday night in Atlanta,” and it emphasized that McCollum’s “cape” might be needed again, while also pointing to Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s offensive struggles against the Knicks.

It said Alexander-Walker “has been missing in action offensively against the Knicks,” and it added that he is “shooting well under 40 percent in the series so far.”

USA Today provided a more specific statistical snapshot for Alexander-Walker, saying that in two games he has combined to go “9-of-29 (31%) for 26 points.”