Winners and Losers From Atlanta Hawks Incredible Comeback Win Over New York

The Hawks trailed by as many as 14 points in the game, but had an incredible 4th quarter comeback to tie the series and steal home court

Apr 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) hangs on the rim after a dunk against New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) and guard Miles McBride (2) during the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It looked like the Hawks were dead in the water heading into the fourth quarter of tonight's game two matchup against the New York Knicks, but Atlanta found a way to win and even the series.

This had the look of being a competitive series when the playoffs began and that is exactly what we are going to get. Atlanta now has homecourt in the series and the pressure shifts to the Knicks.

Here are the winners and losers from tonight's game.

Winner: CJ McCollum

What a game for the veteran guard.

The best player for the Hawks tonight was not Jalen Johnson or Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but McCollum. He scored 32 points and kept Atlanta in it with his ability to score in the clutch. He was 12-22 from the field (3-10 from three) and continiously made New York pay for having Jalen Brunson on him.

Can he keep this up? The Hawks have to want Jalen Johnson and Alexander-Walker to step up, but this was as good as it gets for McCollum.

Loser: Jalen Johnson

Apr 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

To be fair to Johnson, he ended up scoring 13 points in the second half and six in the fourth quarter to make up for an awful first half, but it was still a very poor game for the Hawks young star and he has not started the playoffs in the manner that you would expect him to.

Johnson only had four points at the half and they were all at the free throw line. He was just as bad on the other end of the court as well. He came up big with some clutch buckets in the fourth quarter, but this has been a confounding start to the playoff for Johnson and while the Hawks won tonight, it is hard to imagine the Hawks winning this series.

Winner: Jonathan Kuminga

What a game for Kuminga.

The Hawks bench needed to have a good performance tonight if they wanted to be able to beat the Knicks and they got 19 points from Kuminga, who also played excellent defense on Karl-Anthony Towns.

The defense is what will stand out, but Kuminga played an all-around really solid game tonight against New York. This version of Kuminga makes the Hawks a really formidable opponent and he showed why tonight.

Loser: Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Now I want to preface this by saying Alexander-Walker had some clutch plays tonight. From his strip of Brunson late in the game to his big three pointer late in the game, NAW was a huge reason the Hawks were able to pull through in the fourth quarter.

But as for the rest of the game? It was not very good for Alexander-Walker.

He finished the game with nine points on 3-12 shooting and 2-5 from three with six assists and some solid defense on Jalen Brunson, but the Hawks need the regular season version of Alexander Walker in the worst way going forward if they hope to win this series against the Knicks.