Knicks' Jalen Brunson takes over late to down Hawks

Jalen Brunson is one of the NBA's best closers

The Hawks climbed into the playoff race after trading Trae Young in a deal that brought back McCollum, who hit a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go before his waved-off long-range bomb. McCollum might be a better fit with this Hawks roster than Young, but he doesn't have the same kind of elite shot-making that Young has.

Of course, almost no one has the clutch shot-making ability of Brunson. He finished with 30 points, 17 of them in the final quarter, while scoring in a variety of ways. Down the stretch, he hit a layup, a step-back jumper, a three-pointer and a jumper through contact for an and-one as the Knicks made up a five-point deficit.

Brunson is the reigning Clutch Player of the Year after his late-game heroics last season. This year, he's not racking up quite as many points, but he's shooting 44.4 percent from distance.

Atlanta Hawks acquitted themselves well in a big game

The Hawks did show they could hang with one of the NBA's best teams, thanks to 36 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who shot 7-for-11 on threes. Dyson Daniels helped the Hawks outrebound the taller Knicks by grabbing 12 boards. Where they fell short was their bench, which only scored eight points and shot 3-for-14, without making a single three-pointer.

They also fell short in timing. McCollum's miracle heave electrified the home crowd but came just a 10th of a second too late to count.

Monday was a hard-fought battle that could well be a second-round playoff preview. As good as the Hawks have been for the last two months, Brunson may be the Eastern Conference's ultimate difference-maker in a close game.