Heroes and zeros from the Knicks’ 107-106 Game 2 loss to the Hawks on Monday night:
Hero
CJ McCollum kicked the Knicks in the midsection again — only this time it was metaphorically. The veteran guard poured in 32 points, including the go-ahead jumper with just over 30 seconds remaining, as the Hawks evened this best-of-seven series at one game apiece. McCollum missed two free throws in the final seconds, but the misses didn’t haunt him.
Zero
Mikal Bridges opted against attacking in the final seconds with the Knicks down one, and he paid for it. He settled for a pull-up jumper at the horn that came up short, and Atlanta left the Garden with a split. Bridges finished with 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
Unsung Hero
It was another poor shooting night for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but he came up big when it mattered. Alexander-Walker stripped Jalen Brunson with the Knicks looking for the go-ahead basket with less than 30 seconds left, leading to a Jalen Johnson dunk that pushed the lead to four with 10.2 seconds left.
Key Stat
22.7: Knicks field goal percentage in the fourth quarter.
Quote
“It’s a game we should’ve won. In the playoffs, we can’t give away games.” — Josh Hart
