The Knicks are flexing their muscles on defense.
The New York Knicks ran the Atlanta Hawks off the floor on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, cruising to a 126-97 win in Game 5 to grab a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
It was a lopsided beating from the jump, and even Hawks head coach Quin Snyder had no choice but to give credit to what the Knicks did defensively.
"They did what they were supposed to do, protected home court," Snyder said postgame. "Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them."
The Defense Told the Story
The Knicks have looked like a completely different team over the last two games, outscoring the Hawks by a combined 45 points across Games 4 and 5.
In both of those wins, the defense got after it early and never let Atlanta settle into any rhythm at all.
On Tuesday, New York held the Hawks to just 22 first-quarter points while shooting 65 percent from the field on their own end, and the lead hit double digits late in the first and stayed there the rest of the way.
Atlanta's three-point shooting, which had been a lifeline in their two earlier wins, went cold almost immediately.
The Hawks went 1-for-8 from deep in the opening quarter and never got anything going from beyond the arc all night.
Snyder admitted afterward that the Knicks' physicality wore his team down, making it nearly impossible to move the ball and create clean looks the way they needed to.
Brunson and OG Erupted
Jalen Brunson had his best game of the series, pouring in 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting with eight assists and just one turnover.
The guard averaged 26.0 points per game during the regular season and has taken things up a notch in the postseason, looking more aggressive and more decisive with each game.
His fourth-quarter takeover on Tuesday sealed it, as he scored or assisted on nearly as many points as the entire Hawks team put up in the final period.
It wasn't just Brunson carrying the load, though. OG Anunoby has been one of the best two-way players in these playoffs, averaging 20.8 points and 8.8 rebounds through five games while clamping down on Atlanta's top options defensively.
Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 16 points in a quieter but still effective outing, and the Knicks owned the glass with a 48-27 rebounding advantage while also scoring 60 in the paint.
It was just a physical, grinding game that Atlanta could not keep up with.
What Comes Next
The series shifts back to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday, where the Hawks will be fighting to keep their season alive.
New York has been rolling since their Game 4 blowout, and the defense has been suffocating over these last two games.
If Atlanta can't find a way to get CJ McCollum firing from three and speed things up, this first-round series could be done in six.