Four Takeaways From Atlanta Hawks Frustrating Game One Loss to the Knicks

The Hawks let game one slip away and now trail in the series

Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) is guarded by New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the first quarter of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Tonight, the Atlanta Hawks begin their playoff series against the New York Knicks, a matchup that has been highly anticipated. In the first game of this series, it did not disappoint as it was an entertaining back-and-forth affair with some chippy play that saw the Knicks pull away in the second half.

1. Holding KAT in place

Coming into this series, there have been many questions about how Atlanta would contain both the Knicks' star players, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson. However, the Hawks would be able to figure out the answer on one of the two players, as KAT struggled to get his shot going and turn the ball over.

In the second half, especially the fourth quarter, KAT would help the Knicks take control, going on a scoring surge. KAT finished the night with 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, three blocks, and five turnovers.

2. Controlling the pace

11-0 run 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/s424S31NQa

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 19, 2026

For much of this game, Atlanta controlled the flow and made sure it went their way. A large part of Atlanta's leading pace came from forcing turnovers and getting out in transition to score quicker than usual. However, New York would use this to their advantage, playing faster than usual and scoring with ease, leading to a fourth-quarter breakaway.

The good part for Atlanta in this one was their ability to keep things close on the glass, but they must control the Knicks in transition if they want to win this series. Atlanta allowed 22 fast break points, compared to the 13 they had, and 18 points off turnovers.

3. Jalen Brunson Starts Hot

The main reason why the Knicks were in this early was due to Brunson's crazy first-half scoring. In the first quarter, Brunson scored a Knicks team high 19 points as Atlanta had no answer for him. Brunson would continue his hot shooting in the second half, as he would go on to finish with 27 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and one steal.

4. Second half collapse

38.5% eFG for the Hawks in the second half https://t.co/9g5d7YWVjB

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) April 19, 2026

While things were close for much of the first half, things would get ugly and fast in the second half, as the Hawks would find themselves going cold with no answer. This has been a problem at times for the Hawks this season: they would see themselves with leads or keeping things close and still lose games.

Tonight, things seemed on track for the Hawks to take back over with some minor tweaks, but that unfortunately did not happen, as they only scored four points in the second half, until late in the fourth quarter. While things weren't that good in the second half, the Hawks managed to go on a quick 11-0 scoring run to cut things close in the fourth quarter.