Knicks Open Playoffs With 113-102 Win Over Hawks in Game 1

The Knicks opened the playoffs with the kind of win their fan base has been waiting for, a 113-102 Game 1 victory over the Hawks that felt less like a single spring night than an early test of whether this roster can survive the weight of bigger expectations. New York, the No. 3 seed after a 53-29 regular season, led the No. 6 Hawks 1-0 in the first-round series before 19,812 at Madison Square Garden, where Game 2 was set for Monday night.

Jalen Brunson delivered 28 points, setting the tone from the start, and Karl-Anthony Towns supplied the closing force with 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Towns scored 19 of his points in the second half, the stretch that separated a competitive opener from a comfortable finish. The Knicks did much of their best work where playoff series are often decided, outscoring Atlanta 53-36 in the paint and 25-12 at the free-throw line. Against a Hawks team that finished 46-36 and entered the postseason with Jalen Johnson as its leading scorer at 23.0 points per game, New York looked more physical, more disciplined and more prepared to absorb the pressure that comes with home-court expectations.

That combination traveled from the regular season, and it matters because the Knicks had already shown they could handle Atlanta before the bracket was set. New York beat the Hawks 128-125 on Dec. 27, 2025, then followed with a 108-105 win on April 6, 2026, behind Brunson’s 30 points and 13 assists, Towns’ 21 points and OG Anunoby’s 22. Game 1 suggested that the same core strengths still define this team: Brunson’s command, Towns’ scoring range and size, and a physical edge that can push opponents off their preferred spots.

Still, the opener did not erase the larger question that has shadowed this franchise through years of inflated hopes. One win does not settle whether New York is built for a deep run, especially in a series that will keep asking for consistent execution. The Hawks will keep searching for ways to make the Knicks defend for longer stretches and to pull the game away from the paint, where New York controlled too much on Saturday. With John Goble, Curtis Blair, Ray Acosta and Mousa Dagher officiating the opener, the series has already taken on the feel of a national spotlight matchup, and the next test comes quickly. On April 18, 1973, the Knicks beat Boston 129-96 at the Garden to even the Eastern Conference finals; this team now has to prove that Game 1 was not just a loud beginning, but the start of something lasting.