Brunson's 'phenomenal' performance lifts Knicks
With the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tied at 2-2, New York's Jalen Brunson delivered a signature game at the right time, helping the Knicks to post a comfortable 126-97 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks: Game Highlights (1:11)
NEW YORK -- Jalen Brunson hadn't yet delivered a signature game in the New York Knicks ' first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks . The swing Game 5 seemed like the perfect time to remedy that.
Brunson's 39 points was, by far, his best showing of the series, and it coincided with the Knicks' all-around domination of the Hawks Tuesday in a 126-97 win at Madison Square Garden. New York took a 3-2 lead with a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Thursday.
It was the second straight complete performance by the Knicks after two one-point losses, and perhaps Brunson had the Hawks' Game 2 visit in mind when stunned with Knicks with a fourth-quarter rally to steal homecourt advantage.
Brunson closed out the evening with 17 in the fourth to help the Knicks win comfortably.
"The ball went in, but just happy to we were able to keep the lead," Brunson said. "They're a team that's capable of going on runs, as you know, from early in the series. But I liked the way we played in the fourth and kept the lead."