Hawks edge Knicks 107-106, tie series in dramatic Game 2 win

The Hawks did not just steal a game at Madison Square Garden. They forced a shift in the series, turning New York’s chance to seize control into a one-point loss that changed the tone, the pressure and the margin for error on both sides.

Atlanta’s 107-106 win in Game 2 evened the first-round matchup at 1-1 and came with the kind of late-game edge that can linger far beyond one night. CJ McCollum carried the Hawks with 32 points, and Atlanta closed the final quarter with a 28-15 advantage to erase the advantage New York had built earlier in the game. The Hawks were the No. 6 seed and finished 46-36 in the regular season, while the Knicks entered as the No. 3 seed at 53-29, but the closing minutes belonged to the road team.

New York had its chances to finish. McCollum missed two free throws with 5.6 seconds left, giving the Knicks one final possession, but New York had no timeout left to organize the last shot. Mikal Bridges then missed the jumper at the buzzer, and the arena went from expecting a 2-0 Knicks lead to absorbing a split series. That sequence mattered as much as the final score, because it exposed how thin the gap was between a commanding home position and a series reset.

The Hawks won despite losing the rebound battle 47-36 and surrendering 14 offensive rebounds, which makes the comeback more striking. Atlanta did not overpower New York physically; it out-executed the Knicks when the game tightened. Onyeka Okongwu and the Hawks pushed back on the road, and the fourth quarter showed a team that found shot-making and composure when it mattered most.

Game 1 had gone to New York, 113-102, behind Jalen Brunson’s 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns’ 25, including 19 in the second half. That opener had suggested the Knicks held the steadier hand. Game 2 changed that perception. The series now shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Thursday, April 23, 2026, and Game 4 on Saturday, April 25, 2026, with the Hawks having already shown they can survive the kind of pressure that often decides postseason series.