Hawks defense stands strong, downs Knicks to take 2-1 lead in series

The Hawks returned to State Farm Arena, and Atlanta’s residents showed up for them.

The noise levels in the arena reached epic proportions as the Hawks put the clamps on the Knicks. It threatened to blow the roof off the arena as Johnathan Kuminga scored a putback layup, putting the Hawks up 92-82 and forcing the Knicks to call a timeout.

But the crowd really reached ear-splitting decibels after the Hawks put up 12 seconds of strong defense to clamp the Knicks and seal their win.

Quick stats: Jalen Johnson looked assertive early, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. CJ McCollum had 23 points and five rebounds. Kuminga had 21 points off the bench.

Knicks wing OG Anunoby led all scorers with 29 points. Jalen Brunson scored 26 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 and had 17 rebounds.

Key moment

The Knicks wouldn’t go away, especially with Anunoby and Miles “Deuce” McBride hitting timely 3s that tied the game at 105 with 1:41 to play.

Then Brunson got a switch onto McCollum, and he pulled up for a bucket and drew a foul to give the Knicks a 108-105 lead.

But the Hawks brought the game back within one off a Johnson driving layup. Then they put up 24 seconds of strong defense, forcing a Knicks turnover on a shot-clock violation before calling a timeout with 16.4 to play.

The Hawks drew up a play that got McCollum open for a midrange jumper, putting them up 109-108 with 12.5 to play.

Though the Hawks left a lot of time on the clock, Hawks coach Quin Snyder trusted his defense. The Hawks forced the Knicks to dribble out the clock, all without fouling. They forced a turnover into the backcourt to seal the win.

Highlight play

Onyeka Okongwu had a quieter game offensively early in the action on Thursday. But the offensive plays he made popped and sent fans in the arena out of their seat.

With 5:01 to play in the second quarter, Okongwu got up in the air after a missed 3-pointer and slammed it down with one hand. He blew by Mitchell Robinson to get to the rim for the finish.