Karl-Anthony Towns says the opportunity to shoot simply wasn't there during New York's fourth quarter collapse.
The New York Knicks had the Atlanta Hawks right where they wanted them. Up 12 heading into the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden in Game 2, Jalen Brunson was in a flow, and Karl-Anthony Towns was coming off a dominant third quarter. All the Knicks had to do was close it out, but they didn't.
Towns finished with 18 points but didn't score once in the fourth. He addressed it head-on after the game. "The opportunity just didn't come around to shoot it. At the end of the day, I trust everyone in this locker room to shoot the ball. The opportunity wasn't available for me in the 4th and it's fine."
He also gave credit where he felt it was due. "When it came down to it, CJ McCollum made some tough shots and you've got to give credit where credit is due. Hell of a player, he's been a hell of a player for a long time in this league."
McCollum finished with 32 points and completely took over down the stretch. The Knicks had no answer for him, and a game New York controlled for three quarters slipped away in stunning fashion.
Apr 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesA Fourth Quarter the Garden Will Want to Forget
New York shot 5-of-22 from the floor in the fourth. Atlanta shot 72.2%. Those numbers don't happen by accident. The Knicks got passive, the ball stopped moving, and the offense defaulted entirely to Brunson isolation while Towns watched from the elbow.
Jalen Brunson scored 29 points on the night and shouldered everything late, but went 3-of-8 in the fourth and couldn't carry it alone. Towns scored 14 of his 18 points in the third quarter. That version of him is nearly unguardable.
He's got size that Atlanta can't match, a shooting range that stretches defenses out to the arc, and enough playmaking to punish anyone who doubles. When he's asserting himself, New York's offense runs through him naturally. But when he disappears, the whole thing collapses into a one-man show.
New York Still Has Time to Fix This
Mike Brown made clear after the game he wants Towns to demand the ball without waiting for a play call. The message was direct. This team has a size advantage over Atlanta in this series, and Towns is the reason why. Leaving that on the table in a must-win fourth quarter isn't acceptable.
Losing Game 2 at home stings, but losing home court doesn't mean the series is over. The Knicks still have enough talent to win this, they still have Brunson, and they've shown all season they can win on the road. Heading to Atlanta tied 1-1 isn't ideal, but it's far from over.
The fix is pretty simple on paper. Get Towns the ball early in the fourth, let him bully smaller defenders, and take the pressure off Brunson to create everything himself. Towns knows how to impose his will when the ball finds him. The third quarter of Game 2 is proof of that. The Knicks just need 48 minutes of that version instead of 12.