CJ McCollum had the final word in Madison Square Garden on Monday night, leading the Atlanta Hawks back from a 12-point third-quarter deficit to stun the New York Knicks 107-106 and knot their first-round series at one game apiece.
McCollum finished with 32 points, torching the Knicks down the stretch after spending much of the night taking abuse from a hostile crowd. He missed two free throws with 5.6 seconds left, but New York's desperation heave at the buzzer with no timeouts remaining fell short when Mikal Bridges' jumper clanked away as the clock hit zero.
The Hawks trailed for virtually the entire second half, falling behind 78-64 late in the third quarter. But Atlanta's younger core chipped relentlessly at the lead. McCollum scored to give the Hawks their first second-half advantage at 101-100 with just over two minutes to play, then answered Jalen Brunson's three-pointer with back-to-back jumpers that gave Atlanta a 105-103 edge with 33 seconds remaining.
Jonathan Kuminga added 19 points off the bench and Jalen Johnson contributed 17, including a basket with 10 seconds left that extended the lead to four. Brunson's 29 points led New York, with Karl-Anthony Towns adding 18 despite managing just four points in the first half.
McCollum embraced the villain role that New York fans assigned him after a third-quarter confrontation with Jose Alvarado left both players with technical fouls. "I'm a nice guy with two kids and a wife," he said with a grin when asked about the jeers. "I think it's a sign of respect." The 32-year-old was acquired from Washington in January as the Hawks dealt away Trae Young, their previous playoff nemesis at the Garden.
The loss stung the Knicks, who entered the night just 40-1 in the postseason since the shot clock's introduction in 1954-55 whenever they led by 12 or more after three quarters. The only other collapse came in 1994 when Reggie Miller erupted for 25 fourth-quarter points against Indiana. New York remains one win away from reaching the second round for a fourth consecutive season.
"This is a game we should have won," Knicks defender Josh Hart said. "In the playoffs you can't give away games."
The Hawks will host Game 3 on Thursday as the No. 6 seed looking to steal the series lead in Atlanta.
Elsewhere on Monday, Minnesota tied Denver at 1-1 in the West when Anthony Edwards scored 30 and Julius Randle added 24 in a Timberwolves rally. The Nuggets had won 13 straight since a loss on March 18. In the East, Cleveland improved to 2-0 against Toronto behind 30 points from Donovan Mitchell and 28 from James Harden in a 115-105 victory.
Author James Rodriguez: "McCollum didn't just outplay Brunson down the stretch, he showed poise under pressure that the Hawks' younger guys still need to find. This is the kind of playoff composure that wins series."
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