The Hawks completely overhauled their roster by the NBA trade deadline in February. Now, over two months later, the pieces in CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga have come up big in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Through three games, the Hawks have taken a 2-1 lead in the series, winning back-to-back games by just one point.
In both wins, McCollum hit the game-winners, getting to his spot and pulling up to hit a jumper in the midrange. In the two victories, Kuminga provided a burst of energy on both sides of the ball but played a key role in the Hawks’ stops.
Through three playoff games, McCollum has averaged 27 points while shooting 39.1% from deep. Kuminga has averaged 16 points, four rebounds and one steal per game.
On Thursday night, the Hawks led by as many as 18 points, their largest lead in the series so far. But the Knicks erased it in the second half, even taking a 108-105 lead on a 3-point play from Jalen Brunson with just over a minute to play.
The Hawks, behind McCollum’s poise and veteran experience, remained calm in the face of the Knicks’ push. Fifth-year forward Jalen Johnson scored a layup off a second-chance attempt after a block from the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns.
Then the Hawks defended multiple Knicks’ actions, stopping a Josh Hart 3 and then forcing an airballed Brunson pullup jumper that ran out the shot clock.
After the Hawks called a timeout to advance the ball, they got the ball into McCollum’s hands. The veteran didn’t waste time on the inbounds pass. He drove to the basket before pulling up and letting off the jumper.
“I think for me, throughout the game, down the stretch, whatever coach draws up, I’m living with it,” McCollum said after the game. “Whether it’s for me or for JJ or for Nickeil (Alexander-Walker).
“And I think we all have that same approach. And I could have missed those shots. I could have missed in New York, I could have missed at home, and I would have been approaching the game the same way. I think that’s the sign of someone who’s steady. That’s the sign of someone who does things the right way.”
While the Hawks put the ball in McCollum’s hands on the final play, they couldn’t have completed their stand without their stout defense on the Knicks. The Hawks have stood strong on the final possession of the game, forcing a Mikal Bridges jumper short in Game 2, then a Brunson turnover in Game 3.
In both games, Kuminga’s defense on Towns has helped the Hawks force the Knicks into scramble situations because the center is out of the play.
But Kuminga’s activity late on Thursday night highlighted how much the Hawks have benefited from his playoff experience with the Warriors.
“He’s been awesome,” McCollum said. “He’s a pro. Obviously, he has championship DNA coming from the Warriors. He understands how to play the game the right way. The athleticism is off the charts. You see the explosiveness.
“He’s got a middy. He knows how to post up. He knows how to screen. He knows how to change his angles, and defensively, he can guard one through five.”
The Hawks needed to defend the Knicks for 12.5 seconds. Kuminga began the possession guarding Towns, who got the inbound pass from Hart. Towns handed off the ball back to Hart and Kuminga switched onto the Knicks forward.
It briefly left the Knicks center free of a defender, and Towns swung to set a screen to free up Brunson from Dyson Daniels. Towns’ screen ended up sending Daniels to the floor and Brunson got to the wing.
But after defending Hart on the wing, Kuminga rotated to help Onyeka Okongwu with a double on Brunson on his drive. The two forced the Knicks guard to kick the ball out to the perimeter and it resulted in a loose ball.
Kuminga charged after the wayward pass and poked the ball away from Hart, who tried to save it.
“I think every position, as much as we can, (is) just coming together and staying poised, no matter (what),” Kuminga said. “Because if we mess up on offense that carries a lot, but I think we’re focusing more on defense and whatever type of offense we go through.
“We’re not trying to let that carry us, defensive-wise. So I think on that (last) time out we spoke, we came together, and we all said, ‘We just need one stop, by any means necessary, we got to all come together.’ And I think just that connection and being patient and collectively coming together, I feel like things just working well.”
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