Knicks Edge Hawks For Big Win In NBA Playoff Race

The New York Knicks picked a great time to come up with one of their most clutch wins of the season.

As they fight to hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks managed to pull out a 108-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at State Farm Arena. The Cavs also won Tuesday, which put added pressure on the Knicks to maintain their one-game lead for that third spot.

Jalen Brunson led the way offensively for New York with 30 points, while OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 and 21, respectively. Atlanta took a 57-53 lead into halftime, then New York stormed ahead in the third quarter, on the back of Towns exploding for 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting in Q3 alone.

Despite that, the game ultimately came down to the final minutes. Tied 102-102 with just 30 seconds left, Brunson drained a 19-foot step-back jumper to put his team up by two. The Hawks' Jalen Johnson couldn't answer, missing a short floater on the ensuing possession, then Towns pulled down the rebound, which forced the Hawks to foul for the rest of the closing seconds. A C.J. McCollum 3-pointer made it a one-point game with two seconds left, but Brunson made both his free throws off the follow-up fouls to seal the win.

Brunson dominated the fourth quarter, with 17 of his 30 points on 60% shooting.

It was a playoff-type situation for the Knicks, who could use something of a tune-up ahead of the first round. They still need to hold off the Cavs over their final three games, or else they'll be looking at a rematch with the Hawks in the first round. Otherwise, they're projected to take on the Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks also still have an outside shot at catching the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 seed, with a big matchup against them coming up on Thursday night.