Jalen Brunson had the opportunity to clinch a victory.
But he faltered.
The Knicks fell to the Hawks, 109-108, in Game 3 at State Farm Arena, with Brunson turning the ball over in the critical moments while trailing by one point.
At this point in the series, the Knicks find themselves at 2-1 behind.
CJ McCollum, a key adversary for the Knicks in this matchup, scored the decisive basket with just 12.7 seconds remaining. It’s clear that McCollum has dominated this series, overshadowing Brunson.
Fans are understandably on edge. Maybe it’s not time to panic yet, but there’s certainly frustration.
Things are looking tough for the Knicks now.
After their loss in Game 2, they had a chance to turn things around. At one point, they were ahead by 11 with just over eight minutes to go.
Then, with three minutes and fifty seconds left, a blocked shot by Jaylen Johnson on Karl-Anthony Towns led to OG Anunoby retrieving the rebound and sinking a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, narrowing the lead to just two points.
Following that, the Knicks had a chance to tie or even take the lead.
But Brunson missed a crucial floater. It was McCollum, who had been relatively quiet since a strong first half, who made a jumper that pushed the Hawks ahead by four.
Anunoby landed another three-pointer to bring the game within one, but Johnson quickly responded, restoring a three-point cushion for the Hawks.
Myles McBride, stepping up in Mikal Bridges’ absence, hit a three-pointer with 1:41 remaining to level the score. Brunson’s basket plus a free throw gave the Knicks a temporary three-point lead with less than a minute left.
He could have sealed the game, but his shot missed with 16.4 seconds left.
Then, desperate for defense, the Knicks watched McCollum make the winning jumper, shifting the trajectory of the series.
