Jalen Brunson's 28 Points and the Knicks' Grind: New York Survives a Physical First Game

The Knicks came to Madison Square Garden looking to set the tone in their first-round series against the Hawks, and Jalen Brunson made sure they did exactly that. New York punched first with a 113-102 victory in Game 1, with Brunson putting on a second-quarter clinic before things got ugly down the stretch.

Brunson's First Half Was Special. The Second Half? Not So Much.

Here's the thing about Brunson: he scored 22 of his game-high 28 points before halftime. He hit his first six shots. The crowd at MSG was electric. Everything was clicking, and there was a real chance we were watching him add another 40-point playoff game to his resume on the four-year anniversary of his first one.

Then the second half happened. He went 0-for-7 from the field. That's brutal. But this is why the Knicks are dangerous. Even when their best player couldn't find the rim, the depth took over. New York built a 19-point lead in the second half without Brunson scoring, and he stayed engaged on defense and facilitating for teammates. Karl-Anthony Towns came alive when it mattered most, finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

"It was a hard-fought win. It was physical," Brunson said after the game. "It was a grind-it-out game." He wasn't exaggerating. The Hawks didn't come to New York to roll over.

This Game Got Ugly Fast

The physical play was real. Brunson got kicked in the groin area by Hawks guard C.J. McCollum on a jump shot in the third quarter, earning McCollum a technical. Knicks backup center Mitchell Robinson took an elbow to the groin from Jalen Johnson on a drive. Karl-Anthony Towns got elbowed in the head on a rebound by Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga. This wasn't finesse basketball, this was playoff intensity at its finest.

The Hawks' defense was relentless on the perimeter, specifically bottling up guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a Most Improved Player candidate who averaged nearly 21 points per game during the regular season and shot around 40 percent from three. He managed just 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting. New York's activity on the perimeter was suffocating.

Brunson summed it up perfectly: "There's going to be highs and lows of a season, highs and lows of a game, and to be able to fight through and still find a way to impact, is very important for us, especially at this point of the season."

Game 2 is coming. The Knicks have momentum and proof that depth matters in the playoffs.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.