Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The New York Knicks put on one of the most dominant displays in NBA playoff history Thursday, destroying Atlanta 140-89 to advance to the second round. The Knicks wrapped up a 4-2 series win in utterly emphatic style, leading the Hawks by as much as 61 points before benching their starters for the final quarter. It was the most points scored and the biggest win by the Knicks in a playoff game. New York’s 47-point half-time lead, at 83-36, was the widest in NBA post-season history.
OG Anunoby top-scored with 29 points, including 26 in the first half, before he was rested. None of New York’s starters played more than 29 minutes. “We can’t just meet the moment, we’ve got to exceed it, and I thought we did a great job of doing that tonight,” said Karl-Anthony Towns, who recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
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Having finished third in the Eastern Conference, the heavily favored Knicks had been down 2-1 early in the playoff series before roaring back. They are the first team to advance to the East’s semi-finals — their fourth straight year of reaching that stage. They will face either the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers.
The Hawks briefly led at the start of the game, going up 11-9 before the wheels dramatically came off. They trailed 40-15 at the end of the first quarter. With the Atlanta crowd shellshocked, the Hawks players grew frustrated. A scuffle broke out between Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels, with other members of both teams getting involved.
But with the game clearly over, the second half was largely incident-free. The 51-point margin of defeat was not quite the largest in playoff history, which stands at 58 points.
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