McCollum ruins Knicks’ night again, leading the Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead

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. “Less than a minute to go in the game and a chance to go up by three.”

The Knicks failed to get off a shot at the end, either, as Brunson turned the ball over and the horn sounded.

Jonathan Kuminga had a huge night for the Hawks off the bench, finishing with 21 points.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 29 points, Brunson had 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21. It wasn’t enough for New York.

Brown griped about the officiating, believing the refs missed some calls at the basket. But he stressed that his team must make better decisions going forward.