Knicks hold off Hawks in Game 1 behind Brunson, Towns, celebrity crowd

Madison Square Garden sounded like a playoff arena and looked like a New York premiere all at once. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns delivered the basketball, but the crowd helped tell the larger story as Ben Stiller and Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler watched the Knicks open their postseason with a 113-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

The victory gave New York a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series between the No. 3 Knicks and No. 6 Hawks. Brunson scored 28 points, 22 of them in the first half, while Towns finished with 25, including 19 after halftime. The Knicks built a lead as large as 19 points in the second half before Atlanta tried to turn the game into a fight, but New York kept control long enough to protect home court.

That mattered because the Knicks entered the playoffs at 53-29 and brought the expectation that this spring could be more than another short run. ESPN and NBA.com both framed Game 1 as the start of a fresh postseason push, and New York answered with a performance that looked nothing like a team easing into April. The Hawks, who finished 46-36, had their chances, but the Knicks’ first-half edge from Brunson and second-half scoring from Towns gave the game a clear rhythm.

The setting was part of the point. Knicks playoff games at the Garden have long doubled as social currency in New York, and this one fit the pattern. Stiller and Schlittler were only the most visible faces in a building where the postseason has become a civic stage, a place where basketball, celebrity and the city’s self-image all meet under one roof. The attention around the seats reflected how much the Knicks’ return to relevance has become an event beyond the box score.

The same two teams had already played three tight regular-season games. New York beat Atlanta 128-125 on December 27, 2025, lost 111-99 on January 2, 2026, then edged the Hawks 108-105 on April 6, with CJ McCollum’s half-court buzzer shot ruled no good after review. Game 2 was scheduled for Monday, April 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBC, with the Knicks trying to turn one loud night at the Garden into a sustained playoff statement.