The Atlanta Hawks were the last team to beat the New York Knicks.
April 23, 2026. That's the last time the New York Knicks lost a game.
It was Game 3 of the first round between the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta won by a final score of 109-108 at home.
CJ McCollum hit the game-winning shot with 12.5 seconds left in regulation. The Hawks forced a Jalen Brunson turnover to win the game and Atlanta took a 2-1 lead in the series.
Since that game, New York is 13-0 and McCollum says the Knicks have been a different team since April 23.
The Knicks beat the Hawks in six games, took out the Philadelphia 76ers in four games in the second round and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals in four games.
As of this writing, New York is up 2-0 on the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The Knicks are two wins away from their first championship since 1973. It will be fascinating to see if Brunson and Co. can finish the job.
The Hawks have a big decision to make with McCollum this summer. The veteran shooting guard becomes an unrestricted free agent after the NBA Finals.
The Hawks acquired McCollum from the Washington Wizards in the blockbuster Trae Young trade. McCollum appeared in 41 regular-season games with Atlanta. He averaged 18.7 points per contest.
Atlanta hasn't won a playoff series since 2021. That's the year Young led the franchise to the conference finals.
The 34-year-old McCollum finished the 2025-26 regular season averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game with the Wizards and Hawks while shooting 45.5% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc and 77.2% from the foul line. He's been in the NBA since 2013.
It will be intriguing to see if McCollum re-signs with the Hawks or joins another team this summer. The Ohio native has played for the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Wizards and Hawks. He holds career averages of 19.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
McCollum, who has never been to the NBA Finals, won the 2015-16 Most Improved Player of the Year Award with the Blazers.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Hawks want to re-sign McCollum. Atlanta has McCollum's full bird rights and CJ proved to be a good fit alongside Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The guy who acquired McCollum, Onsi Saleh, has been promoted to president of basketball operations in Atlanta. The Hawks also signed Saleh to a long-term contract extension.
Saleh staying with the Hawks bodes well for McCollum. After all, Saleh made the bold move of trading Young to get McCollum. It's doubtful Saleh chooses to lose McCollum this quickly after trading an All-Star [Young] to get him.
Anything can happen once free agency starts, but the prevailing thought in the NBA is that Atlanta will re-sign McCollum this summer. There was mutual interest in a deal shortly after his trade to the Hawks and the circumstances surrounding that have not changed.
The Hawks ranked dead last in the NBA in isolation scoring this season (0.80 points per possession), shooting only 37.6% overall on their lowly 4.8 attempts per game. Keeping McCollum would make Atlanta more lethal offensively next season.
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