McCollum ruins Knicks’ night again, leading the Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead
CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to ruin New York’s night again.
ATLANTA — CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12. 5 seconds left to ruin New York’s night again, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead over the Knicks in their first-round playoff series on Thursday night. After starring in a Game 2 stunner at Madison Square Garden, McCollum got the ball with his team trailing by a point.
He came through again from 15 feet, finishing with 23 points. Hawks coach Quin Snyder called it “a great shot,” but stressed the effort of his entire team. “They work, they share,” Snyder said.
“That’s the thing about this group that I’ve enjoyed so much. ” The Hawks led nearly the entire game, building an 18-point lead in the first half. But New York rallied for a 108-105 edge on Jalen Brunson’s three-point play with 1:03 remaining.
After Jalen Johnson, who led the Hawks with 24 points, rolled in a shot, Josh Hart missed a 3-pointer for the Knicks. New York got the offensive rebound, but couldn’t get off a shot ahead of the 24-second clock. “You couldn’t ask for anything better than that,” Knicks coach Mike Brown lamented.