CJ McCollum's dagger seals thrilling win! Hawks snatch the series lead after a nail-biting comeback and fourth-quarter surge.
CJ McCollum does it again! A game-winning bucket with 12 seconds left lifted the Atlanta Hawks to a 2-1 series lead against the New York Knicks.
The Hawks fended off a big blown lead in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. The Knicks were down eight entering the fourth quarter, but stormed back due to OG Anunoby's huge night, and New York eventually took a 108-107 lead with less than a minute to go. The Knicks have 12 seconds to create a good look at the basket and they couldn't even get a shot up. Jalen Brunson ended up with the ball off the inbound, and coughed it away with just a couple of seconds left. Another game the Hawks can snatch away in the final seconds of regulation.
However, at State Farm Arena, CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson, and Jonathan Kuminga put on for the city of Atlanta, and the Hawks now have a series lead in a first-round matchup with the Knicks. Game four will be Saturday night, but for now, Atlanta should soak in this sweet victory. New York outscored Atlanta 28-21 in the 4th, but the Hawks' poise, togetherness, and competitiveness kept them from blowing their lead, and Quin Snyder's last six-minute rotation paid off once again.
OG Anunoby, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Jalen Brunson all scored 20+ points, but Atlanta still won.
Jonathan Kuminga posted 21 points on 9-14 from the field, and played 28 minutes. It's the second consecutive game Kuminga has played most of the fourth quarter as the final rotation for the Hawks.
As for McCollum and Jalen Johnson, McCollum scored 23 points on eight made baskets. He scored 16 points in the first half, but then came up clutch for Atlanta in the final two minutes of the game once again.
Mikal Bridges of the Knicks had a goose egg performance, scoring 0 points in 21 minutes, good for a -26 +/-.
Jalen Johnson led with a team-high 24 points and made his presence felt all night. Johnson shot 10 free throws, which shows he was more aggressive in Game Three than Game Two, and that's perhaps the biggest development in this series.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 11 big points in the third quarter to hold off the Knicks, but finished with 14 total points and a +/- of -11. He's had a hard time scoring this series, but with CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson, and Jonathan Kuminga shooting at a high clip, Alexander-Walker's contributions are only supplementary.
Gabe Vincent is also worth a mention. He played just 14 minutes and scored five points, but Vincent was +12 while on the court.