A change in strategy by the Hawks set up Jalen Brunson for his best performance of the series in Tuesday’s Game 5, writes Vincent Goodwill of ESPN. Coach Quin Snyder opted to switch Dyson Daniels onto Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted a triple-double on Sunday. That gave Brunson more freedom to operate, and he responded with 39 points while shooting 15-of-23 from the field as the Knicks cruised to a 29-point win.
“It’s like a chess match,” Brunson said. “If someone makes a move, you’ve got to make another move. You’ve got to wait to see what they do. The way we play, we’ve got to be ready for anything.”
Atlanta posted a pair of one-point victories in Games 2 and 3 to take the lead in the series, but New York has been dominant since then, holding the Hawks to 42.7% from the field and 27.7% from three-point range in the last two outings. CJ McCollum, who looked like the star of the series early on, was limited to six points on Tuesday.
“It’s been a multitude of things. We picked it up as a unit,” Brunson of the Knicks’ defense. “They’ve also gotten a lot of looks. and we were lucky they were missing. I think us being on the same page, both sides of the ball, was a factor.”
There’s more from New York:
- The defensive adjustment didn’t seem to bother Towns, who finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as the Knicks ran their offense through him most of the night, observes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Towns was able to overpower Daniels in the paint and use his size advantage to get the ball to open teammates. “I feel like passing’s been my thing since I came into the league. Sometimes the scoring gets more noticed than the passing,” Towns said. “But I’m glad I have the opportunity to show what I can do, passing-wise. I’ve just got to continue to stay disciplined, continue to make the right play, regardless if it’s the scoring play or the hockey assist.”
- OG Anunoby may be New York’s best player throughout the series, Braziller adds in a separate story. Anunoby turned in another great game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a plus-19 rating, and his teammates are recognizing the contribution he’s making every night. “He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world on a big stage something that we always thought he was. When you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, weirdly enough, it’s special. I believe he’s going to be First Team All-Defense, and he deserves it.”
- After not playing in the series opener, Jose Alvarado has worked his way back into the rotation, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. He came off the bench to score 12 points in 12 minutes in Game 5 and helped the Knicks pull away early in the second quarter. Schwartz notes that Alvarado’s latest chance came after guards Landry Shamet and Miles McBride struggled earlier in the series.