The stage was all set for a Knicks revival—the beleaguered Knicks were back in the playoffs and had home-court advantage, with 15,000 fans packed into Madison Square Garden for the first time all season. When New York took a three-point lead into the final minute, the ending seemed to write itself.
Then Trae Young had other ideas.
Young spurred the Hawks to an impressive comeback, netting 32 points in a 107-105 win in Game 1 of the first round. Young’s go-ahead floater with 0.9 seconds remaining ended up being the difference maker, capping a run in which Young scored seven of Atlanta’s last 10 points over the final two minutes of the game.
Young finished the game going 11-for-23 from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line, with 10 assists and seven rebounds. He joined LeBron James as the only players with at least 30 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in his postseason debut.
Young’s electric performance drew a strong response from the Knicks crowd, which Young admitted to relishing in a post-game interview.
Young out-dueled a surprising performance off the bench from Knicks guard Alec Burks, who scored 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Veteran guard Derrick Rose also played well, scoring 17 points with five rebounds and five assists on 8-for-16 shooting.
Guard R.J. Barrett had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while forward Julius Randle scored 15 points with 12 rebounds and four assists.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at MSG, where the Knicks will try again to win their first playoff game since May 16, 2013.
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