NBA: Jalen Brunson pours in 39 as Knicks go up 3-2 on Hawks

Jalen Brunson scored 39 points to lead the host New York Knicks to a commanding 126-97 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

With the win, New York took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and moved one step closer to advancing to the conference semifinals. The Knicks can clinch the series on Thursday in Game 6 in Atlanta.

Brunson was highly efficient, connecting on 15 of 23 shots from the field while also adding eight assists against just one turnover. New York shot an impressive 57% from the floor as a team.

OG Anunoby finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Knicks dominate the boards 48-27. New York also held a 60-42 advantage in points in the paint.

Karl-Anthony Towns posted 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, building on his strong all-around performance in Game 4, when he recorded a triple-double in the Knicks’ win in Atlanta.

Jose Alvarado chipped in 12 points off the bench for New York.

For Atlanta, Jalen Johnson led the way with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Dyson Daniels added 17 points. Onyeka Okongwu and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each contributed 16 points.

The Hawks struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 31% (13 of 42) from three-point range, and were limited to just four fastbreak points.

CJ McCollum continued to have difficulty finding his rhythm after strong performances earlier in the series. After scoring 17 points in Game 4, he managed just six points on 3-of-10 shooting in Game 5.

Atlanta briefly closed the gap early after a Johnson dunk cut the deficit to 23-20, but New York responded with a 12-2 run to end the first quarter. The Hawks managed only 1 of 8 from three-point range in the opening period.

The Knicks extended their lead to 59-37 in the second quarter after an OG Anunoby steal led to a Brunson layup with 3:08 remaining. Atlanta closed the half with an 11-5 run to trim the deficit to 64-48 at halftime.

New York maintained control in the third quarter, building an 18-point lead while resting Brunson and Towns. Brunson then returned in the fourth quarter and scored eight points during a decisive 12-0 run that ended any hopes of an Atlanta comeback.

-Field Level Media/Reuters