Daily Report – 4/9/26
Knicks
Captain is his name, and clutch is his game. On Monday, thanks to 17 fourth-quarter points from Jalen Brunson, who finished the game with 30, the Knicks beat a team with a winning record for the first time in 31 days. The score was tight, but the Knicks inched ahead of the Atlanta Hawks 108-105.
Midway through the third quarter, the Knicks were down by 10 points, but they battled back to take a two-point lead by the end of the frame. The fourth quarter felt like a full 12 minutes of crunch time, but things got especially entertaining with 5:28 remaining, as Mitchell Robinson tipped in a shot to tie the game at 90. From there, it was a winding road to 100.
Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 24 rebounds and 29 points. Robinson also had three blocks. Despite netting just nine points, his defense was particularly impactful because Josh Hart only recorded two points in 30 minutes, attempting just three field goals. However, Hart’s disappointing metrics aren’t changing Brown’s mind about his starting lineup.
“If I feel I need to make a change at any time, I’ll make a change,” said head coach Mike Brown. “But I don’t feel that way right now.”
After Robinson tied the score at 90, Atlanta took two five-point leads, and with 3:15 remaining, Nickeil Alexander-Walker drained a sharp triple to put the Hawks up 100-95. Brunson responded with seven unanswered points, including a game-tying three and a go-ahead layup at the two-minute mark.
“It’s huge to know a guy like [Brunson] can shoot and score the way he does,” Brown said. “On top of that, he’s crafty.”
Atlanta tied the game at 102 with 1:54 remaining, but 84 seconds went by before Brunson scored the game’s next field goal, putting the Knicks ahead with 30 seconds left. After Jalen Johnson missed his shot, Towns secured an important defensive rebound.
Towns passed the ball to Brunson, who heaved it down the court from Atlanta’s baseline. Mikal Bridges caught the ball and passed it across to OG Anunoby, who drew contact and hit the deck.
The Knicks successfully challenged for a shooting foul, sending Anunoby to the line. Impressively, he secured both free throws, putting the Knicks ahead by four with 5.4 seconds left. The Knicks had two timeouts remaining and one foul to give, while Atlanta had neither.
However, New York conceded a left-wing three-point shot to CJ McCollum, cutting their lead to a single point with 1.5 seconds on the clock. The Knicks called a timeout to inbound the ball from a favorable location. Josh Hart threw the rock to Brunson, who immediately got fouled. With 1.2 seconds left, Brown had to quickly decide if his point guard should intentionally miss a shot.
“It’s tricky,” Brown said. “If he misses it, obviously, it’s a long heave, but if you foul him on the rebound or you foul him when he’s turning to heave it, now they get free throws.”
Brown made the right choice, and Brunson sank both shots. It made the difference of a valuable 1/8 of a second as McCullum sprinted up the court and fired a shot before crossing the midcourt line. It looked like he had just forced overtime, but Brunson, of all Knicks players, did just enough defensively to force a late shot.
“The whole thing was, at worst, they’ll tie it, and we’ll go to overtime,” Brown said.
Thanks to Brunson’s heroics and a little luck, the Knicks maintained their position in the Eastern Conference standings, which are coming down to the wire. Because Cleveland won yesterday, they have moved within half a game of the Knicks for the third seed. If Boston beats New York tonight, they can clinch the second seed.
Oh, and Jayson Tatum is back. Tonight. At Madison Square Garden, where he ruptured his Achilles tendon last May.
The Knicks cannot fall further than the fourth seed, but they will try to win each of their next three games. They hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland, but it would be best if it doesn’t come down to that.
Tonight’s game is a must-win contest (7:30 PM, 6:30 PM CDT – MSG, Prime Video, Gotham Sports). Tatum wants revenge.
The Knicks must not let the narratives surrounding this game affect the way they play. With three games left, they cannot afford to limp into the postseason.
Schedule
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT): NYK vs. BOS; MSG, Prime Video, Gotham Sports
