Winners and Losers From Atlanta Hawks Dramatic Game Three Win Over The New York Knicks

Who were the winners and losers from tonight's dramatic win for the Hawks?

Apr 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) has the ball stolen by Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Another day, another one point playoff game between the Hawks and the Knicks.

Just three days after the Hawks defeated the Knicks on the road to tie the series, Atlanta was able to hold on late against New York and take a 2-1 series lead against one of the favorites for the NBA title. After getting out to a big lead in this game, the Hawks used clutch team defense and shotmaking by CJ McCollum to seal the win and give them a real advantage in this series.

Given all of that, who are the big winners and losers from tonight's game?

Winner: Jalen Johnson

This was the kind of game that Jalen Johnson needed. After some subpar games (by his standards), Johnson was able to bounce back and help make some of the key baskets late to win the game.

Overall, Johnson finished with a near triple double, going for 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. He was in control in this game and there was nobody on the team who needed a performance like this more than Johnson. Can he continue it going into game four?

Loser: Onyeka Okongwu

This was not a terrible game by any means for Okongwu, but he had the least amount of impact of any of the Hawks players who played major minutes. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds in this game and overall was a -4 in the 37 minutes that he played.

Again, this was far from a dreaful performance from Okonguw, but he did not make a huge impact on the game.

Winner: Hawks Defense

The Hawks defense has been really solid in the first three games, but they turned it up a notch tonight. Atlanta held the Knicks, one of the NBA's best offenses, to 43% shooting and 29% from three. Of the Knicks 10 made thress, OG Anunoby and Deuce McBride had nine of them.

Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were once again fantastic on the perimeter and Jonathan Kuminga closed the game and played well on that end of the floor.

The defense on the last play of the game epitomized the effort that the Hawks expended on that end of the floor and it sealed the game. They made sure that Jalen Brunson did not get a shot off and covered his other options well.

The Hawks have made major strides this season on the defensive end and tonight was a prime example.

Winners: CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga

The stars of game two were two of the stars of game three. The Hawks got fantastic performances from McCollum, who hit the go ahead bucket to win the game, and Kuminga, who came off the bench to score 21 points and play very good defense.

The evolution of both of these players has been monumental for the Hawks and if they can keep playing like this, Atlanta is going to have a chance to close this series out.