National Basketball Association

New York Knicks even series vs. Atlanta Hawks with huge second half

Updated May. 27, 2021 7:25 a.m. ET

The Big Apple was bumping Wednesday, as more than 16,000 Madison Square Garden faithful saw their team knot up its first-round playoff series.

A huge third quarter from the New York Knicks propelled them to even their Eastern Conference matchup with the Atlanta Hawks with a 101-92 win.

Trae Young got the last laugh against Knicks fans in Game 1, but his 30 points in Game 2 weren't enough to give Atlanta a decisive series lead.

Here's how the Knicks evened the series at a game apiece.

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Key performer: Derrick Rose

He might be a bench player, but Rose is putting in starter-quality performances in this series.

The 32-year-old Rose drained 26 points to lead the Knicks in Game 2, playing nearly 39 minutes ⁠— the most of any player on either team. After logging 38 minutes in Game 1, Rose is averaging his most minutes per game in the postseason since he clocked 40.6 MPG in 2010-11.

Rose also popped in four assists and four rebounds Wednesday, all while turning the ball over just once. The sensational point guard played all 12 minutes of the pivotal third quarter. Speaking of which …

Turning point: A massive third quarter

The Hawks closed the first half on a 12-3 run, giving Atlanta a 57-44 advantage heading into the break.

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Whatever Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said to his team at halftime did the trick. New York's vaunted defense proceeded to buckle down in a big way, sparking the previously listless Knicks offense.

The Knicks went 12-for-22 as a team in the third quarter, including 7-for-10 from distance, to wrestle the lead from the Hawks heading into the fourth.

The two teams traded punches in the early going of the final frame, but New York's defense refocused with things knotted up 91-91 with five minutes remaining. From there, Atlanta mustered just one point ⁠— a free throw from De'Andre Hunter.

Wild card: Julius Randle

Midway through the game, Randle was on his way to being lambasted for another poor performance. He didn't score a field goal (0-for-6) in the first half and had just two points via a pair of free throws.

That changed after the break, however, as he came out on New York's opening possession and drained a 3. By the time the final buzzer sounded, he had 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

Randle will likely hope he can string together two quality halves of basketball by the time Game 3 rolls around, but his second half in Game 2 has him trending in the right direction at least.

Twitter's take:

Did you know?

The Knicks notched their first playoff win since May 16, 2013, which came in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.

What's next:

This series moves to Atlanta for Game 3, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Friday.

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