New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 108-105: The two-man game we've waited for

The New York Knicks held on to beat the Atlanta Hawks 108-105. The two-man game of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns made the difference in the victory.

The teams looked evenly matched, with the Knicks finally playing hard from the start and the red-hot Hawks up to the challenge. The Hawks began to separate in the second and third quarters, building a 10-point lead.

But the Knicks came out of a timeout and started to run a two-man game between Brunson and KAT. Towns exploded in the third quarter, and once the defense adjusted to him, the Captain was free to attack single defenders. The Knicks erased their deficit, and Brunson hit a go-ahead bucket with twenty seconds left, along with free throws to seal it.

The Knicks finally beat a playoff team on the road. It’s been a while since we’ve said that. Let’s enjoy a victory lap and look at the standout players.

The first three quarters were a struggle for Jalen Brunson. He landed on someone’s foot early and got up slowly. After that, he struggled to hit even open looks and faced frequent double-team help from the Hawks. So, Brunson went 5/16 from the field through the third quarter, making up for his shooting by creating openings for his teammates.

But then the fourth quarter started, and Brunson shot 6/10, including the game-winning shot. Suddenly, the Captain has a 30-point double-double that includes the go-ahead jump shot in crunch time.

After only taking four shots in the first half, Karl-Anthony Towns took over in the third quarter. He attacked the paint, stepped out to hit threes, and punished double-teams with dimes. The Knicks were on the verge of letting this game slip away, but KAT was the defibrillator bringing them back to life.

Even before his scoring kicked off, Towns was passing well, rebounding as usual, and playing tough defense. He had a brief slump out west, but he’s back to playing quality basketball since getting back home.

While Brunson and KAT took over the second half, OG Anunoby provided tertiary scoring throughout the night. By making his three-pointers, OG put together an efficient 22-point performance that feels like an afterthought because it came so smoothly.

Anunoby has quietly become one of the most dependable players on the roster. He always finds a way to be one of the best three Knicks of the night.

Remember when Mitchell Robinson demoralized the entire Cleveland Cavaliers team for a full playoff series? He’s back to playing at that level, while coming off the bench to pick on tired starters and back-ups. Mitch feasted on the boards, finished inside, and played excellent defense.

Between steals and offensive boards, Mitch spent the game constantly creating extra opportunities for New York to score. His presence loomed large over both ends of the court.

Mikal Bridges was aggressive from the opening tip, continuing his trend of improved recent play. He actively attacked the defense, got to his pull-up jumper, and scored. My only issue is that he slowed down in the second half.

Bridges always plays good defense, but it feels like he’s starting to make momentum-changing defensive plays lately. That adds another dimension to his defense, while his offense has finally come back around.

The game started ugly for Josh Hart. He rarely hesitates to attack, but couldn’t find his rhythm in action that featured so few transition opportunities.

The fourth quarter sparked something in Hart. He grabbed key rebounds and put together a handful of impressive defensive stands in isolation down the stretch. Brunson came up big in the clutch on offense, but the defensive impact came from Josh Hart during that same stretch.

That looked like a playoff-ready team. The Hawks have been one of the best teams in the NBA for over a month. New York went to their house and closed them out. I’ll feel a lot better if the Knicks beat the Celtics next, but this is a great start.

Watching Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns find synergy in a “pick-your-poison” attack felt like a ray of light breaking through the clouds. If they’re capable of that, along with the defense this team has played since the break, they’re capable of beating anyone.

The question remains: “Can they keep this level of play consistently?” They can give us a sign by beating Boston next. I’ll see you after that game, Knicks’ fam!