Knicks can't get off a shot in wild finish against Hawks in Game 3, as CJ McCollum lifts Atlanta again

It was a bitter ending to what had been a thrilling fourth quarter for New York. The visitors had stumbled out of the gates, shooting just 8-for-22 from the field and 2-for-12 from 3-point range with five turnovers in the first quarter, staking the hosts to a 33-21 lead after 12 minutes. The Knicks battled back, trailing by eight at halftime and after the third quarter, but the Hawks repeatedly made enough plays to keep them at arm’s length, pushing their lead back to 11 at 96-85 on a Johnson free throw with 8:06 to go in the final frame.

And then the Knicks hit the gas, ripping off a 23-9 run over the next six and a half minutes, headlined by several huge 3-pointers by Anunoby (who finished with a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds) and reserve guard Miles McBride, whose triple off an Anunoby feed knotted the game at 105 with 1:41 to go. After Towns blocked McCollum on a drive to the rim, sending the Knicks out on a fast break that would end with an and-one layup by Brunson to put the Knicks up 108-105 with 1:03 to go, it looked like the Knicks might return the cruel favor the Hawks did them in Game 2, snatching away both victory and home-court advantage in this extremely competitive series.

But the Hawks persevered. Johnson, who’d rolled his left ankle on an earlier drive to the rim, went hard to the paint only to be turned back by Towns’ third block of the night. He stuck with the play, though, collecting the loose ball and sticking in a putback layup to draw Atlanta back within one.

New York had a chance to answer — two chances, in fact, after Anunoby grabbed the offensive rebound of a missed Hart 3. But Brunson’s attempt to isolate and cook for a midrange dagger wound up drawing nothing but air, resulting in a shot clock violation that gave Atlanta one more possession with 16.4 seconds to go.

And McCollum, as he’s established in this series, knew exactly what to do with it.

McCollum finished with 23 points on 8-for-19 shooting, joining Johnson (24 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) and star-in-his-role reserve Kuminga (21 points on 9-for-14 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench) to lead the way for Atlanta’s offense. Brunson finished with 26 points and four assists in 40 minutes for New York, but missed all five 3-pointers he took — and, most crucially, missed both of his opportunities to win the game in the final 20 seconds, putting the Knicks’ backs squarely against the wall in Saturday’s Game 5.