Amazing Game. Knicks Win Thriller. NY 108 Atlanta 105

April 8, 2026 LouV 2025-26 0
OG had 22 pts on 7-14 shooting (4-10 from 3) with 2 blocks and clutch free throws in the final seconds. Photo courtesy NY Knicks.

What an Amazing Game! That’s all you could think about watching it from the 3rd quarter on as the Knicks and Hawks battled in a playoff-intensity duel to the end; both teams playing great ball and blasting each other like Ali vs Frazier.

And in the end, Jalen Brunson rose up and hit every big shot for NY to pull them into the lead, OG Anunoby hit Clutch free throws, and CJ McCollum hit a desperate heave from 3/4 court to tie the game — but deemed .1 second too late!

Final score NY 108 Atlanta 105 in a regular-season game for the ages in Atlanta, with Hawk fans raising the roof with noise — dueled by Knick fans raising the roof with noise all night.

Karl-Anthony Towns was the early hero for NY, scoring 14 pts in the 3rd quarter to pull NY back from a 10-pt deficit and into the lead. Atlanta took back the lead in the 4th on the incredible shooting of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 36 pts on 12-19 shooting (7-11 from 3), aided by Jalen Johnson with 21 pts and McCollum with 17.

Brunson led NY with 30 pts on 11-26 shooting (3-8 from 3) with 13 assists; KAT had 21 pts on 9-12 shooting (2-4 from 3), with 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and a block; OG had 22 pts, and Mikal Bridges added 15 pts. Mitchell Robinson was awesome off the bench with 8 pts, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.

Brunson was having a tough shooting game until crunch time in the 4th quarter.

“I say to him all the time you have to have a short memory if you wanna be great,” said coach Mike Brown afterwards about Brunson. “He showed it tonight. He did what a great player is supposed to do by carrying us home down the stretch.”

NY improves to 51-28, a game ahead of Cleveland, 3 behind Boston, and 6 behind Detroit with 3 games to go. Atlanta falls to 45-34, and is a possible 1st-rd opponent for the Knicks.

1. Knicks Lead 32-31 After 1 Quarter

Both teams came out firing and playing good ball, with the lead going back and forth — Onyeka Okongu, Jalen Johnson, and Dyson Daniels getting early buckets for Atlanta, while NY had a distributed attack led by Brunson, OG, Bridges, KAT, and Miles McBride getting buckets for NY — McBride with a 3.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit 3 free throws after being fouled taking a 3 — and that got him started, as he hit a 3 and a deuce before the end of the period.

Mitchell Robinson came in and immediately dunked inside off a Brunson feed, and Mikal Bridges scored buckets for NY down the stretch giving the Knicks a 32-31 lead after 1 quarter.

2. Alexander-Walker Heats Up in 2nd; Atlanta Takes 57-53 Halftime Lead

The Knicks pushed their lead to 43-36 early in the 2nd quarter on another Deuce McBride 3, and buckets by Jordan Clarkson and Mitchell Robinson inside.

But Atlanta came back on buckets by Zaccharie Risharcher and Okongwu, and then Nickeil Alexander-Walker started to really heat up — scoring 10 pts in the quarter including a couple of 3’s as Atlanta took a 57-53 halftime lead.

3. Atlanta Goes Up 10 Early in 3rd — But KAT Pushes NY Back Into Lead

Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum hit consecutive 3’s early in the 3rd quarter, and Jalen Johnson dunked inside for an 8-0 Atlanta run and 10-pt lead at 71-61 with 6:44 left in the period.

But Karl-Anthony Towns pushed back hard — dominating inside for buckets and fouls and hitting 3’s from the outside — scoring 14 pts in the quarter — at one point scoring 10 straight points for NY to pull them within 74-71 with 4 minutes left.

A Mikal Bridges drive off a Brunson assist pulled NY within 1, and then Mitchell Robinson came in and started to tear the place up with hustle plays and buckets inside.

A Robinson bucket off a Brunson assist put NY up 75-74.

Brunson was having a tough shooting night, but hit a 3 with 1:27 left to give NY a 78-74 lead.

Okongwu struck back with a 3; OG answered with a 3 — the heavyweight brawl was on.

The Knicks led 81-79 entering the 4th.

4. Brunson Takes Over Down Stretch in Dogfight

And then it was war in the 4th.

Mitchell Robinson started the period with a block followed by an OG steal and slam — the play of the game.

Jonathan Kuminga and CJ McCollum got early buckets for Atlanta to tie the score. Jalen Johnson hit a 3 to put Atlanta up.

Brunson answered with a 3, and Mitchell Robinson was playing dynamite ball — diving on the floor for loose balls, and grabbing an offensive rebound, and then tipping in his own offensive rebound to tie the score at 90-90.

Alexander-Walker continued Red Hot — hitting deuces and 3’s — as Atlanta ran their lead to 97-92 with 3:44 left.

And that is when Jalen Brunson took over.

  • Brunson hit a drive-and-1 to pull NY within 97-95.
  • Alexander-Walker answered with a 3 to give Atlanta a 100-95 lead with 3:15 left.
  • Brunson answered with a deuce, and then game down and hit a 3 to tie the game at 100-100 with 2:20 left.
  • Brunson then stole the ball from CJ McCollum, and scored on a drive for a 102-100 Knick lead with 2 minutes left.
  • McCollum answered with a bucket to tie the game with 56 seconds left.
  • Brunson came down and hit a Clutch 18 footer for a 104-102 Knick lead with 29 seconds left.
  • The Knicks forced Jalen Johnson into a miss, Brunson rebounded the ball and quarterbacked a pass up to Bridges who fed OG — and Atlanta purposely fouled him. He hit 2 Clutch free throws with 5.4 seconds left for a 4-pt Knick lead.
  • But CJ McCollum hit a 3 with 2.2 seconds left to make it a 1-pt game.

Atlanta fouled Brunson with 1.2 seconds left — and he hit both free throws to give NY a 108-105 lead.

5. McCollum Ties It with Desperate Heave — .1 Second Too Late

And then Atlanta inbounded underneath their basket, and McCollum hit a 3/4 heave to tie the game that was ruled .1 second too late!

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401810998

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