Brunson’s game-winner lifts Knicks over Hawks 149-148 in wild OT thriller

In what was easily the most chaotic, unpredictable, and high-scoring game of the season, Jalen Brunson played the hero once again, sinking a clutch 19-foot pull-up jumper with 11.1 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Knicks past the Atlanta Hawks 149-148 at Madison Square Garden.

The Hawks had two chances to steal the win in the final seconds, but Mikal Bridges blocked Trae Young’s floater, and Georges Niang’s corner three at the buzzer hit the rim, sealing the dramatic Knicks victory.

It was a fitting end to an absolute rollercoaster of a game. Atlanta struck first in overtime, scoring the first five points before the Knicks answered with six straight to retake the lead at 143-142. But the madness truly started at the end of regulation, where the Knicks had the game in their grasp, leading 137-131 with just seconds left—only to see everything spiral into chaos.

Niang drilled a clutch corner three with 9.1 seconds remaining to make it a one-possession game. Then, on the inbound pass, Dyson Daniels came out of nowhere, stole the ball, and was fouled on a missed layup attempt.

He hit the first free throw but missed the second, leading to an Onyeka Okongwu offensive rebound. The Hawks scrambled to get the ball out to Young, who drew a foul from Josh Hart and calmly sank two free throws to tie the game with 2.9 seconds left.

The Garden held its breath as Brunson attempted a deep three at the buzzer, but it fell short, sending the game into an extra five minutes of madness.

The Knicks had led by as many as 18 points late in the second quarter, with Precious Achiuwa’s jumper putting them up 66-48 with 3:06 left before halftime. But the Hawks regrouped, closing the quarter on a 12-2 run to make it an eight-point game at the break. That momentum carried into the third, as Atlanta kept firing and trimmed the deficit to just four, 92-88, late in the quarter.

The Knicks responded and rebuilt a three-possession lead, but Young kept the Hawks within striking distance. With 3:00 left in regulation, Young—who finished with 38 points—had Atlanta trailing by just one at 126-125. New York held its ground, outscoring the Hawks 11-6 to go up six with under 20 seconds remaining, but those final 18 seconds changed everything.

While Brunson was the closer, Karl-Anthony Towns was the driving force behind the Knicks’ offense, delivering a monstrous 44-point, 10-rebound performance. It was the first time in his career that Towns reached 40+ points in back-to-back games, making him just the fifth player in Knicks history to accomplish that feat, joining Patrick Ewing, Bernard King, Carmelo Anthony, and Brunson.

Achiuwa had one of his best games as a Knick, scoring 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting while adding eight rebounds. Hart continued to fill the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

The Hawks, despite the heartbreaking loss, had multiple standout performances. Daniels scored 23 points, Okongwu added 21, Niang dropped 21 off the bench, and Caris LeVert provided 20 points as a spark plug.

Atlanta dominated the Knicks in both rebounding (47-39) and assists (43-28), but New York’s efficiency was the difference. The Knicks shot a blistering 54-of-94 (57%) from the field, including 11-of-26 (42%) from three-point range.

“It’s great to go into the break with a win no matter how we got it or what happened. I’m just happy we fought through, regardless of what we did positive or negative.”

– Jalen Brunson

The Knicks enter the All Star break having won 9 of their last 11 games. Moreover, Brunson and Towns will both represent the Knicks as All-Star starters, marking the first time since 1975 (Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe) that the team has had two players in the starting lineup for the midseason showcase.

With the All-Star break now arriving, the Knicks will take a well-deserved rest after surviving one of the wildest games of the season. If this was the send-off before the break, then fans might need those few days just to recover.

Up-next: Knicks (36-18) return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday, the 20th to host the Bulls (22-23)