Mike Brown is unsurprised about Jalen Brunson's fantastic performance in Game 1
The Knicks are now up 1-0 against the Hawks, and Jalen Brunson set the tone as a superstar should.
Mike Brown is unsurprised about Jalen Brunson's fantastic performance in Game 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The New York Knicks had a strong 2025-26 regular season, but the most important part of their year was the Playoffs.
They managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last year, and now, they want even more this time around. First on their docket is the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks . While the Knicks are considered favorites, they know they have a competitive series going on here.
That is why superstar guard Jalen Brunson made sure to set the tone with a massive first quarter performance that carried over to the rest of the team. Mike Brown celebrates Jalen Brunson for setting the tone with a 19-point first quarter in Game 1 Brunson was on fire to start the game, hitting shots all over the court. Scoring 19 points in the first quarter helped the Knicks get off to a 30-24 start.
The Knicks won 113-102, taking every quarter except the second. The rest of the team benefited from that start because the Hawks had to always think about defending Brunson. For the rest of the game, Brunson only had to score nine more points because Karl-Anthony Towns was superb with his 25-point night.