NEW YORK — This is, for both the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, the most pivotal game of the season.
Granted, every postseason game is paramount, but Game 5s in the NBA playoffs when both teams enter tied at two games apiece are particularly crucial. Historically, the winner of Game 5s when tied at 2-2 go on to win the series 82% of the time.
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For New York, it will come down to the plan on offense, and how coach Mike Brown deploys All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the latter of whom posted a 20-10-10 triple-double in Game 4 on Saturday, April 25.
The Hawks will need to play quickly and emphasize transition offense; through the first three quarters Saturday, Atlanta had failed to score a single fastbreak point.
Here are the live winners and losers from Game 5 between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks. Refresh frequently for live updates.
With 2:11 to play in the first quarter, the Knicks are up 27-20.
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WINNERS
New York’s early shotmaking
The Knicks made four of their first five shots and 8-of-12 to start the game. The Knicks are clearly intending on playing quickly and decisively, and that has made a big difference. New York is shooting 62.5% so far.
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Dyson Daniels
He hasn’t been as engaged on offense, and his shot selection has felt forced at times in the series, but the Hawks clearly wanted to get Daniels going early. He scored the first two Hawks buckets of the game. Because Daniels hasn’t been a threat, Atlanta’s offense has suffered at times. And because Brunson is guarding him, it’s a matchup the Hawks can exploit.
By the first media timeout, with 6:42 left to play, Daniels was already 3-of-3 with 6 of Atlanta’s 8 points. That matched his point totals from Games 2 and 4 and surpassed his total from Game 1 (4).
LOSERS
New York’s backscreen flex action
In Game 4, the Knicks repeatedly ran the same action to quite a bit of success. With Karl-Anthony Towns holding the ball at one of the wing spots, the Knicks then set a screen along the baseline to get a back cut. That was part of the reason why Towns dished 10 assists on Saturday.
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On the first Knicks offensive possession, they tried the same thing. This time, Atlanta was ready for it and forced Brunson into a tougher shot. As a result, New York’s early offense has been heavily focused on iso actions.
Jonathan Kuminga gets in early foul trouble
He was a massive spark off the bench in Atlanta’s two wins in the series, and the Knicks have looked to attack Kuminga on defense. He was called for a pair of early fouls. He did, however, have a massive alley-oop dunk midway through the period and is 2-of-5 with 4 points.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawks vs Knicks live winners, losers from NBA playoffs Game 5 tonight
