McCollum ruins Knicks' night again, leading the Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead

CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to ruin New York's night again, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead over the Knicks in their first-round playoff series on Thursday night.

After starring in a Game 2 stunner at Madison Square Garden, McCollum got the ball with his team trailing by a point. He came through again from 15 feet, finishing with 23 points.

"Quin drew up a winner for us. Great game, great X and O guy, we just executed," McCollum said. "Practice after practice and shootarounds, there's a reason why we're in the position we're in — because of execution and attention to detail."

Hawks coach Quin Snyder called it "a great shot," but stressed the effort of his entire team.

"They work, they share," Snyder said. "That's the thing about this group that I've enjoyed so much."

The Hawks led nearly the entire game, building an 18-point lead in the first half. But New York rallied for a 108-105 edge on Jalen Brunson's three-point play with 1:03 remaining.

After Jalen Johnson, who led the Hawks with 24 points, rolled in a shot, Josh Hart missed a 3-pointer for the Knicks. New York got the offensive rebound, but couldn't get off a shot ahead of the 24-second clock.

"You couldn't ask for anything better than that," Knicks coach Mike Brown lamented. "Less than a minute to go in the game and a chance to go up by three."

The Knicks failed to get off a shot at the end, either, as Brunson turned the ball over and the horn sounded.

Johnson said he's still getting used to the intensity of playoff basketball but is finding his footing.

"It's the playoffs. I'm still trying to adjust to it, still learning," Johnson said. "Going back and watching film, trying to match the physicality — I think I did a better job tonight. Just gotta stay strong and play through all of that."

Jonathan Kuminga had a huge night for the Hawks off the bench, finishing with 21 points.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 29 points, Brunson had 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21. It wasn't enough for New York.

Brown griped about the officiating, believing the refs missed some calls at the basket. But he stressed that his team must make better decisions going forward.

Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta.

"They're closing out hard," Brown said of the Hawks. "It's a tough game for the officials to officiate, but I know we got fouled on a few of the tries that didn't get called."

McCollum picked up where he left off at Madison Square Garden, hitting a step-back jumper beyond the arc for Atlanta's first points. He had 16 by the halftime break.

McCollum showed off more than his offensive skills. After Hart scooped up a loose ball and drove toward the hoop with only the Atlanta guard to beat, McCollum blocked the shot and sent the ball off Hart's foot to give possession back to the Hawks.

The Hawks outscored the Knicks 27-12 over the final seven minutes of the opening quarter, turning the game in their favor with an 11-0 spurt and closing the period with three straight 3-pointers. The first was by little-used center Mouhamed Gueye, followed by two straight from Kuminga to send the State Farm Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Both McCollum and Johnson pointed to that energy as a difference-maker.

"That's exactly what I envisioned when you play a home game in the playoffs," McCollum said. "You've got entertainers in the building, and for us, you always envision being able to play in big moments."

Johnson added, "Just the energy they brought from the jump — you could feel it immediately. The fans made it a real home-court advantage. It was fun."

But, with the Hawks on the verge of blowing the game open late in the first half, New York closed the period on a 12-2 run. Atlanta went to the locker room with a 58-50 lead.

Referee Natalie Sago became the third woman to officiate an NBA playoff game, working alongside Marc Davis and Nick Buchert.

For McCollum, the moment was just another example of trusting the work.

"I'm comfortable with failure and I'm comfortable with success," he said. "My teammates have a huge faith and belief in me and my talent and my ability and I think they appreciate my approach ... When you really work, you just show up — and I'm just showing up."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.