Nickeil Alexander-Walker is your Most Improved Player of the Year, the Atlanta Hawks have no answer for any of the Knicks‘ centers and Jalen Brunson’s clutch gene has activated just in time for New York’s playoff push. And yet the Knicks nearly needed an extra period to put away the pesky Hawks, 108-105, at State Farm Arena Monday. Brunson scored 17 fourth-quarter points, made a go-ahead shot ...

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks drives against CJ McCollum of the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on Monday, April 6, 2026, in Atlanta.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America/TNS

Nickeil Alexander-Walker is your Most Improved Player of the Year, the Atlanta Hawks have no answer for any of the Knicks‘ centers and Jalen Brunson’s clutch gene has activated just in time for New York’s playoff push.

And yet the Knicks nearly needed an extra period to put away the pesky Hawks, 108-105, at State Farm Arena Monday.

Brunson scored 17 fourth-quarter points, made a go-ahead shot to put the Knicks up, 104-102, with under a minute left in regulation, then made a pair of free throws to put the Knicks up three with just seconds left on the clock.

With no timeouts, Hawks guard C.J. McCollum took the ball from baseline to halfcourt and banked in a prayer at the buzzer. The closest official called off the play, and after replay review, the ball was still in McCollum’s hands as the final buzzer sounded.

“Happy with the way we finished the game,” said Brunson, who finished with a game-high 30 points and 13 assists. “They came to fight and put us on our heels, but we found a way to come back every time with an answer and find a way to win.”

Brunson shot 1 of 5 from the field in the first quarter and was 5 of 16 entering the final period. He then authored a 17-point fourth quarter and shot 6 of 10 from the field in the final frame.

“Just found a way to keep my confidence,” he said. “Obviously, things aren’t going to be perfect all the time but you trust your work and find a way.”

Alexander-Walker, the favorite for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award, had his crowning ceremony in a 36-point performance against the Knicks.

But Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson exploited a clear size advantage against a Hawks team without a legitimate seven-footer in its rotation. That advantage kept the game close enough for Brunson to carry the Knicks home.

Towns finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Robinson had eight points and 12 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Knicks and Hawks played at State Farm Arena on Monday in the first what will be four potential playoff previews to close New York’s regular season, including the Thursday-Friday back-to-back against the No. 2 Boston Celtics and No. 7 Toronto Raptors before the season finale against No. 8 Charlotte on Sunday.

And if the Knicks draw the Hawks in the first round, they’d better pin Alexander-Walker’s face inside each player’s locker. The cousin of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the kind of motion shooter the Knicks have had blunders against this season.

Alexander-Walker shot 12 of 19 from the field and made seven 3s on 11 tries against the Knicks, including some backbreaking contested triples that helped the Hawks build a 10-point lead.

That, however, can be neutralized in a playoff series. Through a combination of gameplan discipline and defensive adjustment, the Knicks should feasibly be able to hold the Hawks’ third option to or beneath his impressive 20-point-per-game season average.

OG Anunoby scored 22 points and was plus-10 in 39 minutes. Mikal Bridges finished with 15 points, including 11 scored in the first quarter.

Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. McCollum’s called-off half-court heave left him with 17 points, and the Hawks got five points off the bench from Jonathan Kuminga, the crown jewel of the Porzingis deal with the Golden State Warriors.

The Knicks turned the ball over 12 times in the first half but didn’t commit their 13th until there were under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Knicks now get two days of rest before a back-to-back against another set of Eastern Conference playoff teams: the Celtics on Thursday and Raptors on Friday.

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