CJ McCollum did not hesitate in assessing what went wrong for the Atlanta Hawks in their 114-98 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 on Saturday night at State Farm Arena.
“They played better than us. They played harder. They’re more physical,” McCollum said postgame, pointing to the tone set early by the Knicks’ defensive pressure.
The veteran guard emphasized how turnovers shaped the game’s momentum, especially in the first half. “We had 12 turnovers in the first half. I had two or three in the first half, finished with four. Can’t have that,” McCollum said.
According to McCollum, those mistakes allowed New York to dictate rhythm and control possession-based basketball. “Those are the types of momentum swinging plays that allowed them to get comfortable,” he said.
The Knicks, led by Karl-Anthony Towns’ triple-double and Jalen Brunson’s steady scoring, built a 68-44 halftime lead and never relinquished control. McCollum credited their physical defense for disrupting Atlanta’s offense.
“They’re more physical. Beat us on some loose balls,” McCollum said. “We didn’t get 50/50 balls again tonight. All those things kind of snowballed.”
The Hawks guard also addressed defensive breakdowns and transition struggles, areas that previously fueled Atlanta’s wins earlier in the series. “When you’re not getting stops, it’s hard to score in transition, taking the ball out every play,” he said.
McCollum added that the game turned into a possession battle the Hawks failed to control. “It’s a possession game. It matters. When they get second chances, when they get run out layups, transition threes, the game begins to not go in your favor,” he said.
Despite the loss evening the series at 2-2, McCollum remained grounded about the bigger picture. “We would have liked to go up 3-1, but if you told us before the series started we’d be 2-2 going back to the Garden, life’s not so bad,” he said.
He also rejected blaming officiating for the result, taking accountability for execution instead. “The officials aren’t why we lost by 20. We got to put the ball in the hole. We got to get stops. We got to rebound,” McCollum said.
Atlanta now shifts focus to Game 5 in New York, where both teams enter tied and searching for control of the series.
