Biggest blowouts in NBA playoffs: Where Knicks' 51-point domination of Hawks ranks in basketball history

Biggest blowouts in NBA playoffs: Where Knicks' 51-point domination of Hawks ranks in basketball history originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . For a few days, it appeared the New York Knicks would have some trouble getting by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

But after Thursday's result, that seemed like ancient history. After falling behind 2-1 in the series, the Knicks didn't just win the next three games to advance — in the clinching Game 6, New York dominated Atlanta by 51 points. With their 140-89 win on Thursday night, which included a 67-13 run, the Knicks approached NBA Playoffs blowout history.

Here's a look at where the Knicks' thumping of the Hawks in Game 6 ranked among the biggest playoff blowouts ever. NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket Biggest blowouts in NBA playoffs New York didn't quite pull off the biggest NBA playoff blowout ever, but the Knicks did come fairly close. Two games are tied for the widest point margin in an NBA playoff matchup: a 2009 first-round meeting between the Nuggets and Hornets , and a 1956 semifinals matchup between the Lakers and Hawks.

Both games had final scores of a 58-point margin. The Knicks took down the Hawks in Game 6 by 51 points, which is tied with a Thunder - Grizzlies matchup from last year as the sixth-largest blowout in playoff history. Rank Year Series Game Margin 1.