The New York Knicks entered the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden on Monday night with a double-digit lead, a raucous crowd behind them, and a Hawks team that had spent most of the evening looking exactly like a sixth seed on the road. Everything pointed one direction.
Then CJ McCollum pointed it somewhere else. Atlanta outscored New York 28-15 in the final frame, erasing the lead possession by possession until a McCollum layup in the final two minutes gave the Hawks their first lead since the opening half. The Knicks had chances late. They could not convert.
A 107-106 defeat left MSG silent. The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Thursday night in Atlanta.
McCollum Takes Over MSG
When Atlanta needed a bucket, McCollum got one. When they needed a lead, he delivered it. He finished with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting, and the damage was done in the moments that mattered most.
His former teammate Damian Lillard reacted to it simply: “OMG @CJMcCollum lol”
Jalen Brunson fought hard with seven assists and 29 points for New York, but the Knicks kept finding ways to hurt themselves. Ten missed free throws. 11 three-pointers on 34 attempts.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: CJ McCollum #3 of the Atlanta Hawks drives against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks during game two of the Eastern Conference first round NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
What McCollum Said After Stunning the Knicks
The performance was the statement. The postgame was the punctuation.
McCollum was asked about the Madison Square Garden atmosphere and the way Knicks fans received him. But CJ did not lean into the villain role.
“I ain’t no villain, I’m a nice guy with 2 kids and a wife,” McCollum said. “I think it’s admiration. Great passionate fans in a really hostile environment, it’s fun, it’s basketball, it’s the playoffs.”
The pressure of a playoff road game against one of the East’s most dangerous teams did not rattle him. He absorbed everything the building threw at him and gave it back with 32 points and a smile.
— CJ McCollum. ✊
(h/t @SportsCenter)
The Message to Brunson
McCollum had a message for the Knicks about what he saw in Jalen Brunson as a defensive assignment. When a reporter asked whether he had been deliberately targeting that matchup and whether he liked what he had in those one-on-one situations, McCollum let the question answer itself.
“What do you think?” McCollum said.
“Yeah,” the reporter replied.
“Yeah,” McCollum said.
That exchange tells the story. McCollum identified Brunson as a matchup he could exploit and went after it repeatedly. He attacked off the dribble, created his own shot, and found consistent success doing it.
Now the series moves to Atlanta, where the Hawks will have their own crowd behind them for the first time.
CJM: “What do you think?”
Q: “Yeah.”
CJM: “Yeah.”
Final Word for the Knicks
McCollum did not come to Game 2 to survive. He came to take over. That is exactly what he did.
The Knicks still hold the talent advantage and remain the favorite to advance.
Game 3 is set for Thursday in Atlanta.
CJ McCollum Issues Jalen Brunson Message After Knicks Stunning Loss