Heroes and zeros from the Knicks’ 140-89 Game 6 series-clinching win over the Hawks on Thursday night in Atlanta:
Hero
OG Anunoby solidified his standing as the star of the series, saving his best for last.
The 28-year-old was a two-way force, sparking the Knicks early — with 26 points and four steals in the first half — and finishing with 29 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while shooting 11-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers.
Zero
C.J. McCollum was right. He was no villain after all.
The Hawks guard started the series as its most dominant player — as well as one of the best stories in the postseason — but the 34-year-old had a forgettable finish to his first season in Atlanta.
After being held to six points in Game 5 in New York, McCollum disappeared with the rest of his teammates in the must-win Game 6, failing to score in the first 10 minutes, then finishing with 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, along with two turnovers and zero assists.
Unsung hero
Welcome back, Mikal Bridges. One week earlier, the Knicks’ much-maligned wing was benched in Atlanta and held without a point in Game 3.
He followed with two more single-digit scoring efforts.
But Bridges revived his confidence in Game 6, nearly scoring as many points as he had in the previous four games combined, finishing with 24 points (10-of-12 from the field), five rebounds, three assists and one block.
Key stat
63-11 — The extended run by the Knicks from four minutes into the first quarter and into the second quarter after the Hawks took an early 11-9 lead, giving the Knicks an unfathomable 50-point lead in the second quarter.
Quote
“It shows the kind of team that we are, what we can be. We knew we kind of gave two games away, so we wanted to come out and close out the series today.”
— Josh Hart
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
