Heroes and zeros from the Knicks’ 113-102 Game 1 win over the Hawks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden:
Hero
Jalen Brunson set the tone, scoring 19 first-quarter points en route to a somewhat comfortable Game 1 victory. Brunson finished with 28 points along with seven assists.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder had to be having flashbacks to the 2022 playoffs, when he was the Jazz coach and Brunson torched Utah as a member of the Mavericks.
Zero
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had the best season of his seven-year NBA career, but he struggled in Game 1.
He managed 17 points, but needed 16 shots and wasn’t nearly as impactful a defender as he can be.
Unsung hero
Karl-Anthony Towns was terrific in the regular season against the Hawks, and that continued in Game 1.
Towns was efficiency and productive, finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 33 solid minutes.
Key stat
47 – Hawks second-half points. The Knicks shut them down when it mattered, after allowing 55 in the first 24 minutes.
