Kristian Winfield: The Hawks picked their poison — and it cost them Game 1 vs. Knicks

NEW YORK — Ahead of tipoff in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series between the Knicks and Hawks on Saturday, Atlanta coach Quin Snyder detailed the many ways his team could potentially have trouble defending Karl-Anthony Towns, the six-time All-Star center who's averaged close to 30 points over the seven regular-season games he’s played against the Hawks since his 2024 trade to New York.

Snyder called the Towns assignment a challenge. He was complimentary of the 7-foot scorer whose game he’d come to know well after coaching the Utah Jazz for the better part of a decade. And in true candid fashion, Snyder openly admitted the matchup would be a problem for the Hawks, who only have one experienced, trusted center in Onyeka Okongwu available as Jock Landale recovers from an ankle injury.

Snyder was so effusive of his praise — and steadfast in his desire to find a way to stop the Knicks’ center — one could surmise the Knicks’ big man was top priority on the Hawks’ scouting report.

Which was Atlanta’s undoing in Game 1, because the second you forget about Jalen Brunson is the second you’ve hammered the final nail into your own coffin. And in what became a wild game, Brunson put the Hawks on the grill: 28 points, seven assists and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.

The Knicks have taken a 1-0 series lead over the Hawks with Game 1 looming on Monday.

Snyder will make adjustments. He said as much ahead of tipoff on Saturday. But he detailed the plight of this very quandary before the opening tip as well.

“It’s a little bit of pick your poison, you know? How do you handle [KAT] on the post with a mismatch? Do you just guard him? How do you handle pick and roll? How do you handle him and Brunson on pick a roll?” Snyder said. “I think for us to be prepared for all those situations, you can adjust every time down the court.”

Towns did not score in the first quarter and had six points on 1-of-6 shooting at the half. The Knicks, of course, went three quarters of the season with Towns as an afterthought offensively before folding him more permanently into scoring actions. He has also become much more content with his fluctuating role.

Some nights may not call for a Big KAT masterclass. Others will. And in the playoffs, games will call for both: Towns scored just six points in the first half but finished with 25 points on 6-of-13 shooting and a perfect 10-of-10 shooting from the foul line.

Yet despite Towns’ late start, despite an Atlanta defense built to be aggressive and physical at the point of attack, the Knicks still built an 11-point lead, watched it go to zero, then led by as many as 19 points with four minutes left in the final frame.

It’s why The Daily News took the Knicks to win this first-round series in not six, but five games. Because the Knicks, at their best, are light years ahead of the Hawks, whose franchise cornerstone — Jalen Johnson — is experiencing his first-ever playoff series.

Game 1, of course, had its hiccups, moments the Hawks applied pressure many assumed capable of breaking the Knicks. The first quarter was a doozy. Brunson’s heroics saved the day. The Knicks built a double-digit lead in the second quarter and suddenly found themselves tied at 48 shortly before the half. Brunson, even in a hot night, shot 8 for 11 to start the game and 1 for 11 to finish it.

And then there were the injuries: Officials assessed C.J. McCollum a technical foul for kicking Brunson below the belt. Jonathan Kuminga grabbed a rebound and elbowed Towns in the face on the way down. OG Anunoby limped out of the game in the second quarter then checked himself back in shortly after. And Josh Hart came up limping in the third quarter before playing through the visible pain displayed on his face.

The Hawks are going to do more beating-up of the Knicks than actually beating them on the hardwood floor. They’ll need to find a way to beat the Knicks at their own game, too. Because taking away Towns freed up Brunson, and re-focusing on Brunson opened up Towns.

It’s the very poison Snyder spoke of — and the Hawks drank it on Saturday.