Brunson sinks 8 3s, scores 31 points as Knicks hold off Hunter, Hawks 126-120
ATLANTA (AP) A strong supporting cast helped set up Jalen Brunson for the best 3-point shooting game of his career.
Brunson made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points to power the New York Knicks to a 126-120 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Brunson enjoyed strong support from RJ Barrett, who had 26 points, and Julius Randle, who added 17 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
“If the ball is in the paint and everyone is making plays, we have a lot of guys to attack and create for themselves,” Brunson said. “A lot of people draw a lot of attention, so when we play off each other it makes life a lot easier.”
Brunson made 11 of 21 shots from the field, including 8 of 12 from beyond the 3-point line.
“I made maybe one or two bad 3s, but they were all kind of in rhythm,” Brunson said. “It was the right shot at the right moment.”
The Knicks made 20 3s and had 30 assists.
“I thought our guys showed a lot of toughness,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “We got great performances from a number of people.”
Mitchell Robinson led the Knicks with 13 rebounds and four steals, while Quentin Grimes was the leader of the defense that held Atlanta's Trae Young to 18 points while making 4 of 16 shots from the field.
Brunson quickly recovered after shooting just 6 of 21, including 3 of 8 on 3s, in the Knicks' 108-104 loss to Boston in their season opener on Wednesday night.
“I knew I had to continue to trust the work ethic, trust everything I do,” Brunson said. “Nights like that happen. It's nothing to dwell on. ... It was all about just focusing on the next day and moving on.”
The Knicks couldn't put the game away until the final seconds but still Hawks coach Quin Snyder bemoaned his team's “lack of execution in a lot of situations.”
“We've got to be more focused in the course of a game,” Snyder said. “We've got to communicate to one another in order to do those things.”
Barrett contributed two baskets in the final four minutes after Atlanta closed within two points. Barrett's jumper gave the Knicks a 118-114 lead with 2:16 remaining. Randle added a 3-pointer to push the advantage to seven points and iced the win with three free throws in the final 16 seconds.
The Knicks (1-1) took a big lead of 11 points at 105-94 on a dunk by Isaiah Hartenstein. The Hawks answered with a 10-0 run.
De'Andre Hunter led the Hawks (0-2) with 27 points. Dejounte Murray had 18 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16. Young had 12 assists but continued his poor shooting to start the season. He was 4 of 19 in Atlanta’s 116-110 season-opening loss at Charlotte on Wednesday night.
Jalen Johnson, coming off a career-high 21 points against Charlotte, provided early fireworks for Atlanta with two first-half jams. Johnson had 11 points.
Clint Capela had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Visit New Orleans on Saturday.
Hawks: Visit Milwaukee on Sunday.
---
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Mitchell Robinson vs. Clint Capela (Jalen Brunson gains possession) | ||
| 11:41 |  | De'Andre Hunter blocks RJ Barrett's three point jump shot | ||
| 11:37 | | Trae Young defensive rebound | ||
| 11:21 | | De'Andre Hunter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:17 | | Julius Randle defensive rebound | ||
| 10:58 | | Julius Randle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:56 | | De'Andre Hunter defensive rebound | ||
| 10:49 | | Trae Young misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:46 | | Julius Randle defensive rebound | ||
| 10:42 | | +2 | RJ Barrett makes two point running dunk (Julius Randle assists) | 2-0 |
| 10:20 | | Mitchell Robinson blocks Clint Capela's two point driving hook shot | ||
| 10:16 | | Dejounte Murray offensive rebound | ||
| 10:15 | | Trae Young misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:12 | | Julius Randle defensive rebound | ||
| 9:57 | | Jalen Brunson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:53 | | Dejounte Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 9:48 | | Jalen Brunson personal foul (Dejounte Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 9:38 | | +2 | Clint Capela makes two point driving dunk (Dejounte Murray assists) | 2-2 |
| 9:17 | | De'Andre Hunter shooting foul (Mitchell Robinson draws the foul) | ||
| 9:17 | | +1 | Mitchell Robinson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-2 |
| 9:17 | | +1 | Mitchell Robinson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-2 |
| 9:00 | | Trae Young misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 8:59 | | Hawks offensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:52 | | Trae Young offensive rebound | ||
| 8:48 | | +2 | De'Andre Hunter makes two point dunk (Trae Young assists) | 4-4 |
| 8:37 | | Saddiq Bey personal foul (Jalen Brunson draws the foul) | ||
| 8:31 | | De'Andre Hunter shooting foul (RJ Barrett draws the foul) | ||
| 8:31 | | RJ Barrett misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 8:31 | | Knicks offensive rebound | ||
| 8:31 | | +1 | RJ Barrett makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-4 |
| 8:17 | | +2 | De'Andre Hunter makes two point cutting layup (Saddiq Bey assists) | 5-6 |
| 7:59 | | +2 | Mitchell Robinson makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jalen Brunson assists) | 7-6 |
| 7:50 | | Saddiq Bey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:47 | | RJ Barrett defensive rebound | ||
| 7:37 | | +3 | Quentin Grimes makes three point jump shot (Mitchell Robinson assists) | 10-6 |
| 7:22 | | De'Andre Hunter misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:19 | | Mitchell Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 6:56 | | Julius Randle misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:53 | | Clint Capela defensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | Julius Randle personal foul (Trae Young draws the foul) | ||
| 6:52 | | Hawks 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:40 | | +2 | De'Andre Hunter makes two point stepback jump shot (Clint Capela assists) | 10-8 |
| 6:19 | | +3 | Jalen Brunson makes three point jump shot (Julius Randle assists) | 13-8 |
| 5:58 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point pullup jump shot (Bogdan Bogdanovic assists) | 13-10 |
| 5:42 | | Clint Capela shooting foul (RJ Barrett draws the foul) | ||
| 5:42 | | +1 | RJ Barrett makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 14-10 |
| 5:42 | | +1 | RJ Barrett makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 15-10 |
| 5:25 | | Jalen Johnson turnover (bad pass) (Mitchell Robinson steals) | ||
| 5:20 | | RJ Barrett misses two point running layup | ||
| 5:16 | | Mitchell Robinson offensive rebound | ||
| 5:16 | | Mitchell Robinson misses two point tip layup | ||
| 5:15 | | Clint Capela defensive rebound | ||
| 5:07 | | Clint Capela misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 5:04 | | Dejounte Murray offensive rebound | ||
| 5:02 | | +3 | De'Andre Hunter makes three point jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 15-13 |
| 4:44 | | +3 | RJ Barrett makes three point jump shot (Jalen Brunson assists) | 18-13 |
| 4:29 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point driving layup | 18-15 |
| 4:20 | | +3 | Jalen Brunson makes three point pullup jump shot | 21-15 |
| 4:05 | | Quentin Grimes personal foul (Jalen Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 3:57 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:55 | | Immanuel Quickley defensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | +2 | Jalen Brunson makes two point driving floating jump shot (Immanuel Quickley assists) | 23-15 |
| 3:40 | | Immanuel Quickley shooting foul (Dejounte Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 3:40 | | Dejounte Murray misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:40 | | Hawks offensive rebound | ||
| 3:40 | | +1 | Dejounte Murray makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 23-16 |
| 3:30 | | Immanuel Quickley misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:30 | | Knicks offensive rebound | ||
| 3:30 | | Onyeka Okongwu personal foul (Loose ball) (Isaiah Hartenstein draws the foul) | ||
| 3:30 | | Isaiah Hartenstein misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:30 | | Knicks offensive rebound | ||
| 3:30 | | +1 | Isaiah Hartenstein makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 24-16 |
| 3:16 | | Dejounte Murray turnover (bad pass) (Isaiah Hartenstein steals) | ||
| 3:13 | | +2 | Isaiah Hartenstein makes two point running dunk | 26-16 |
| 3:13 | | Hawks 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:02 | | +2 | Jalen Johnson makes two point cutting dunk (Trae Young assists) | 26-18 |
| 3:02 | | Josh Hart shooting foul (Jalen Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 3:02 | | Jalen Johnson misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 2:59 | | Julius Randle defensive rebound | ||
| 2:48 | | Trae Young personal foul (Julius Randle draws the foul) | ||
| 2:48 | | +1 | Julius Randle makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-18 |
| 2:48 | | +1 | Julius Randle makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-18 |
| 2:37 | | Isaiah Hartenstein shooting foul (Onyeka Okongwu draws the foul) | ||
| 2:37 | | +1 | Onyeka Okongwu makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-19 |
| 2:37 | | +1 | Onyeka Okongwu makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-20 |
| 2:20 | | Julius Randle misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 2:16 | | AJ Griffin defensive rebound | ||
| 2:07 | | +3 | AJ Griffin makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 28-23 |
| 1:50 | | Immanuel Quickley misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:47 | | Onyeka Okongwu defensive rebound | ||
| 1:37 | | +3 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 28-26 |
| 1:26 | | +2 | Donte DiVincenzo makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Isaiah Hartenstein assists) | 30-26 |
| 1:14 | | +3 | Trae Young makes three point pullup jump shot | 30-29 |
| 0:57 | | +3 | Donte DiVincenzo makes three point jump shot (Julius Randle assists) | 33-29 |
| 0:51 | | Trae Young misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 0:47 | | Immanuel Quickley defensive rebound | ||
| 0:43 | | Onyeka Okongwu blocks Immanuel Quickley's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:42 | | Hawks defensive rebound | ||
| 0:28 | | Trae Young turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 0:05 | | +2 | Josh Hart makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 35-29 |
| 0:03 | | Josh Hart personal foul (Trae Young draws the foul) | ||
| 0:03 | | +1 | Trae Young makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-30 |
| 0:03 | | +1 | Trae Young makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-31 |
| 0:02 | | RJ Barrett turnover (bad pass) (Trae Young steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | Trae Young misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Hawks offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:51 | | Isaiah Hartenstein shooting foul (Onyeka Okongwu draws the foul) | ||
| 11:51 | | +1 | Onyeka Okongwu makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-32 |
| 11:51 | | +1 | Onyeka Okongwu makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-33 |
| 11:37 | | Donte DiVincenzo turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 11:24 | | Isaiah Hartenstein personal foul (Onyeka Okongwu draws the foul) | ||
| 11:11 | | Mitchell Robinson blocks Saddiq Bey's two point layup | ||
| 11:04 | | Mitchell Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:59 | | Immanuel Quickley turnover (lost ball) (Jalen Johnson steals) | ||
| 10:54 | | +2 | Saddiq Bey makes two point running dunk (Jalen Johnson assists) | 35-35 |
| 10:43 | | +3 | Immanuel Quickley makes three point jump shot (RJ Barrett assists) | 38-35 |
| 10:27 | | Trae Young turnover (bad pass) (Josh Hart steals) | ||
| 10:25 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic shooting foul (RJ Barrett draws the foul) | ||
| 10:25 | | +1 | RJ Barrett makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-35 |
| 10:25 | | +1 | RJ Barrett makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-35 |
| 10:13 | | +3 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 40-38 |
| 9:57 | | +2 | Donte DiVincenzo makes two point cutting layup (RJ Barrett assists) | 42-38 |
| 9:40 | | Trae Young turnover (bad pass) (RJ Barrett steals) | ||
| 9:40 | | Onyeka Okongwu personal foul (RJ Barrett draws the foul) | ||
| 9:22 | | +2 | Donte DiVincenzo makes two point stepback jump shot | 44-38 |
| 9:15 | | +2 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes two point running layup (Trae Young assists) | 44-40 |
| 8:52 | | RJ Barrett misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:50 | | Jalen Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:44 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:41 | | Immanuel Quickley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | +2 | Immanuel Quickley makes two point driving floating jump shot | 46-40 |
| 8:20 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic turnover (bad pass) (Mitchell Robinson steals) | ||
| 8:15 | | +2 | Immanuel Quickley makes two point running layup (RJ Barrett assists) | 48-40 |
| 7:52 | | +2 | Jalen Johnson makes two point driving layup (Trae Young assists) | 48-42 |
| 7:32 | | +2 | RJ Barrett makes two point pullup jump shot (Immanuel Quickley assists) | 50-42 |
| 7:25 | | Hawks 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:13 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic turnover (bad pass) (Donte DiVincenzo steals) | ||
| 7:08 | | RJ Barrett misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | De'Andre Hunter defensive rebound | ||
| 6:57 | | +3 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (De'Andre Hunter assists) | 50-45 |
| 6:37 | | RJ Barrett turnover (bad pass) (Onyeka Okongwu steals) | ||
| 6:34 | | +2 | Jalen Johnson makes two point running dunk | 50-47 |
| 6:23 | | Knicks 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:22 | | Immanuel Quickley turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:08 | | +2 | De'Andre Hunter makes two point cutting layup (Clint Capela assists) | 50-49 |
| 5:45 | | +3 | Jalen Brunson makes three point pullup jump shot (Immanuel Quickley assists) | 53-49 |
| 5:35 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:33 | | Mitchell Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 5:23 | | Jalen Brunson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:17 | | Mitchell Robinson offensive rebound | ||
| 5:17 | | Mitchell Robinson misses two point tip layup | ||
| 5:16 | | Mitchell Robinson offensive rebound | ||
| 5:16 | | Mitchell Robinson misses two point tip layup | ||
| 5:14 | | Julius Randle offensive rebound | ||
| 5:05 | | +2 | Immanuel Quickley makes two point driving layup | 55-49 |
| 4:49 | | Donte DiVincenzo shooting foul (De'Andre Hunter draws the foul) | ||
| 4:49 | | +1 | De'Andre Hunter makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 55-50 |
| 4:49 | | +1 | De'Andre Hunter makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 55-51 |
| 4:37 | | Jalen Brunson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:34 | | Knicks offensive rebound | ||
| 4:21 | | Jalen Brunson misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:17 | | Dejounte Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 4:12 | | Dejounte Murray misses two point running layup | ||
| 4:07 | | Clint Capela offensive rebound | ||
| 4:07 | | +2 | Clint Capela makes two point running dunk | 55-53 |
| 3:48 | | Immanuel Quickley misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:44 | | Quentin Grimes offensive rebound | ||
| 3:44 | | Clint Capela blocks Quentin Grimes's two point layup | ||
| 3:43 | | Mitchell Robinson offensive rebound | ||
| 3:43 | | Clint Capela shooting foul (Mitchell Robinson draws the foul) | ||
| 3:43 | | Mitchell Robinson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:43 | |