Knicks establish early lead, never look back in 126-97 Game 5 win over Hawks

The Knicks defeated the Hawks 126-97 in Game 5 of their first round matchup on Tuesday night at MSG.

New York reestablishes a 3-2 series advantage.

Here are some takeaways…

– Mike Brown gave Karl-Anthony Towns credit pregame for the work he’s put in on both ends of the floor over the first four games of the series, and the big man responded by putting together as strong of a first quarter he’s had. Towns took advantage of his mismatch with Jonathan Kuminga, knocking down his first three shots.

– Brown elected to turn to the two big-look early on, subbing Mitchell Robinson in with Towns also on the floor, and things worked in the Knicks’ favor as they pushed the lead out to double-digits at the end of one (13). Robinson had three points, three boards, and a block over his first four minutes.

– OG Anunoby pulled in seven rebounds in the first, which is the most he’s recorded in a quarter since 2020.

– Robinson wasn’t the only member of New York’s bench feeling it early, as Jordan Clarkson chipped in five points as part of a 12-2 late first quarter run and Jose Alvarado knocked down three buckets in the opening minutes of the second to help push the lead out even further.

– Towns also continued getting whatever he wanted, picking up five more points early in the second.

– New York’s red-hot shooting continued the rest of the of the first half as they stretched the lead out to as many as 22 points, but Atlanta found their groove in the closing minutes to get it back down to 16. The road squad made just six of their 20 threes in the first half, while the home team shot 59 percent from the field.

– Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 17 points, followed closely by Towns’ 14 and eight boards.

– The teams traded baskets coming out of the locker room, which New York certainly took as they hung onto the big double-digit advantage. OG Anunoby began to find his scoring touch after putting up just seven points in the first half, doubling that total with three buckets during the third quarter.

– The Anunoby, Towns, Clarkson, Alvarado, and Miles McBride unit helped close the third up 18.

– Even with the big advantage Brown had Brunson on the floor to begin the final frame, and the captain was feeling it. He put together one of his signature barrages with a stretch of 12 straight points, stretching the lead back beyond 20 and putting any doubts about this one to bed for good.

– Brunson led the way in the scoring department (39 points) while Towns (14) and Anunoby (10) dominated the glass, finishing with a combined 24 rebounds, which was just three less than Atlanta had as a team.

– New York held Atlanta under 100 points for the second consecutive game.

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

The captain put together his best scoring performance of the series, to this point.

Highlights