NBA: Knicks finish off Hawks with record-setting 51-point blowout

OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half as visiting New York routed the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 on Thursday to clinch their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-2.

The Knicks delivered a record-setting performance, posting the most points in a playoff game in franchise history and securing their largest postseason victory margin. The previous largest playoff win for New York came earlier this year, when they defeated the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on Jan. 21.

Atlanta suffered one of the worst playoff defeats in franchise history. The then-St. Louis Hawks previously lost 133-75 to the Minneapolis Lakers on March 19, 1956.

New York dominated from the opening tip, producing a 63-11 first-half run and leading by as many as 61 points. The third-seeded Knicks also defeated Atlanta for the third consecutive game to advance to the conference semifinals for the fourth straight season. They will face either the second-seeded Boston Celtics or the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the next round.

Anunoby finished 11-for-14 from the field, adding seven rebounds and four steals.

“I work hard on my game and the ball finds me,” Anunoby said.

Mikal Bridges added 24 points for New York, while Jalen Brunson contributed 17 points and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his second career playoff triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, along with three steals. The Knicks’ starters were rested midway through the third quarter.

“I thought we did a great job with our defense,” Towns said. “Our offense was created by our defense, which forced turnovers, increased pressure, and we executed well offensively. It’s a great recipe for success.”

Sixth-seeded Atlanta was led by Jalen Johnson, who finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. CJ McCollum added 11 points.

“I did not see it going down like this tonight,” McCollum said. “None of us did.”

New York seized control early, taking a 40-15 lead after the first quarter. The Knicks shot 69.2% from the field in the opening frame (18-for-26) and capitalized on eight Atlanta turnovers. Anunoby led the charge with 14 points in the quarter.

The Knicks ended the first quarter on a 31-4 run, which extended to a 39-4 surge as the lead ballooned further.

Tempers flared in the second quarter, resulting in ejections for New York’s Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels after an altercation with 4:39 remaining in the half. While fighting for position on a free throw, Daniels struck Robinson with a high elbow, sparking a scuffle that knocked official Brent Barnaky to the floor. No punches were thrown, and order was quickly restored. Both players received technical fouls before being ejected.

New York’s 83-36 halftime lead set an NBA postseason record, underscoring a dominant all-around performance that closed out the series in emphatic fashion. -Field Level Media/Reuters