Knicks Outmaneuver Hometown Hawks, Take 1-0 Series Lead

The New York Knicks took a 1–0 lead in their first-round playoff series with a 113–102 victory over the hometown Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, April 18, 2026, at Madison Square Garden.

New York’s star duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns proved too much for Atlanta to handle in the series opener. Brunson set the tone early, scoring 19 of his game-high 28 points in the first half. While the Hawks managed to keep the game competitive through two quarters—trailing by just two points at the break—Towns dominated the second half. He finished with 25 points, 19 of which came after halftime, to lead a decisive surge that cement the Knicks’ advantage.

The Hawks’ offense, led by CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson, struggled to maintain consistency against a stifling Knicks defense. Atlanta suffered a “devastating” third quarter, where they were outscored 26–19, allowing New York to seize total control of the momentum.

The Knicks outshot the Hawks 48% to 44% from the field and dominated the glass with a 45–40 rebounding advantage.

Atlanta mounted a spirited 11–0 run late in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 106–98, but a clutch bucket from Towns restored a double-digit lead and extinguished the comeback.

The loss marks the third time the Hawks have fallen to the Knicks in four meetings during the 2025–26 season. Head coach Quin Snyder noted his team’s resilience but admitted the effort was “too little, too late” in the hostile environment of “The Garden”.

The two teams will meet again at Madison Square Garden for Game 2 on Monday night, April 20, 2026, before the series shifts to Atlanta.