Jalen Johnson recorded 18 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds for his seventh triple-double of the season, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 111-99 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday at Madison Square Garden. Atlanta trailed 30-29 in the first quarter before taking control and never relinquishing the lead.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points and Onyeka Okongwu added 22 as the Hawks extended their winning streak to two games following a season-high seven-game skid. Luke Kennard and Zaccharie Risacher contributed 12 points each, while Atlanta became the first team this season to hold New York under 100 points.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24 points, and OG Anunoby added 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mikal Bridges scored 18 points, and Ariel Hukporti grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in place of Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the game due to illness.
The Hawks pushed their lead to 60-45 late in the second quarter on an Okongwu jumper, and Alexander-Walker’s layup with 1:14 left in the third quarter gave Atlanta its largest lead at 94-68. New York briefly cut the deficit to 94-81 with an 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter, but Kennard’s back-to-back 3-pointers ended the surge.
Atlanta’s bench production was critical, with Johnson distributing 11 assists and contributing across the board, while the team shot 48% overall and 60% from the free-throw line. The Hawks dominated the glass with 49 rebounds compared to New York’s 52, leveraging energy and efficiency to maintain control.
Trae Young missed his third straight game with a bruised right quadriceps, while Knicks center Mitchell Robinson was out for left ankle injury management. Despite the absences, Atlanta controlled the tempo and capitalized on New York’s scoring struggles.
The Hawks improve to 17-19 and will visit Toronto on Saturday, while the Knicks drop to 23-11 and host Philadelphia later in the day.
