Knicks Blow 14-Point Lead, Hawks Rally To Tie Series

The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks are all tied up.

Atlanta rallied back from a deficit as large as 14 points, edging out New York by a 107-106 final on Monday night at Madison Square Garden to even their first-round playoff series at one win apiece. Jalen Johnson and CJ McCollum each answered a late Jalen Brunson miss with 2-pointers to put the Hawks up 107-103 with 10 seconds left. Brunson hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, then McCollum missed both free throws to give the Knicks a last-second chance, but Mikal Bridges' shot at the buzzer didn't fall.

The Hawks caught fire as a team in the final frame, shooting an eye-popping 72.2% as a team, while Jonathan Kuminga, McCollum, and Johnson combined for 19 fourth-quarter points. McCollum turned in a vintage performance, as the veteran led all scorers with 32 points.

Brunson led the Knicks with 29 points, but shot an inefficient 38.5% from the field. Karl-Anthony Towns shot more efficiently at 8-for-12, but ended up with only 18 points and eight rebounds on the night. Just as the Hawks lit it up in the fourth quarter, the Knicks went ice-cold, as the home team shot just 22.7% (5-for-22) collectively.

The series now shifts to Atlanta, where the Hawks will host the Knicks for Game 3 on Thursday night at State Farm Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST.