How Karl-Anthony Towns’ Game 2 disappearance led to Knicks’ collapse vs. Hawks

The first game between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs went almost exactly as many would expect. It was the Knicks who came away with a 113-102 win behind all five starters scoring in double figures, including Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combining for 53 points on 15-of-35 shooting.

In 33 minutes, Towns scored 25 points, was 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, and also added eight rebounds to his name. Although he had five fouls, this was a perfect performance from the Knicks’ center in terms of the team’s plan to take down Atlanta.

The second game of this series was very similar to the first, as New York led for nearly 91 percent of the game on Monday night in Madison Square Garden. Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and even the bench stepped up at times for the Knicks, but it was what happened in the fourth quarter, particularly with Towns, that resulted in the Hawks stealing this game.

After trailing by 12 points entering the fourth quarter, the Hawks hung around and shut the Knicks down in the final 12 minutes of play, allowing just 15 points on New York’s 5-of-22 shooting. To make matters worse, six of those 15 points and two of their five made shots in the final quarter came by Brunson late with the game on the line.

Where was Towns during all of this?

Once again, the Knicks’ biggest concern appeared, as Towns’ disappearance in Game 2 directly led to the team’s collapse, and this series now stands at 1-1 heading to Atlanta for two games.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ fourth-quarter numbers vs. Hawks

The Knicks are used to playing with leads in the fourth quarter. They did so against the Hawks in Game 1, and the well-balanced attack outside of Brunson, who had just two points in the fourth quarter of Game 1, was the main factor in New York taking an early advantage in the series.

But the reality of the Knicks’ situation is that they get complacent offensively and tend to just stop playing. At least, this is what has happened with Towns too many times throughout the course of the 2025-26 season.

Through three quarters on Monday night, Towns had 18 point and eight rebounds, and his aggressiveness on both ends of the court in the paint was allowing the Knicks to build their lead. At the end of the game, Towns had 18 points and eight rebounds.

His lack of urgency in the fourth quarter played a direct role in New York handing this game to Atlanta on a silver platter.

As good as the Hawks were at switching their defensive assignments and not allowing Towns to operate in comfortable situations, the reality of the situation is that he gave up.

Towns took two shots in the fourth quarter. One was a tough, tightly contested hook shot from the left side against Onyeka Okongwu that rimmed out, and the second shot was a rushed 28-foot 3-pointer with Jonathan Kuminga guarding him.

Down the stretch, Kuminga was guarding Towns a lot, yet the Knicks’ big man did not look to assert himself. Not to mention, during the final eight minutes of play when he checked back in for Mitchell Robinson, Towns played passively, electing to stand in the corner a lot of times on offense and back off from contesting shots or being a help-side defender on defense.

The urgency to win this game simply wasn’t there for Towns, and that is evident by the stat sheets showing nothing but zeros next to his name in the fourth.

This cannot happen if the Knicks are to win this series and be the title-contending team they hope to be.

Even though Brunson is the captain of the team and the offense flows through him, the Knicks aren’t paying Towns $53 million for nothing. He is the highest-paid player on the team, yet Towns’ inability to play at full force for all 48 minutes and give it his all until the final buzzer is a major red flag when evaluating the Knicks’ championship pursuit.

After the game, Towns was asked about the double-digit collapse in MSG, and his answer to his poor performance in the fourth quarter was puzzling.

“The opportunity just didn’t come around to shoot it, but at the end of the day, I trust everyone in this locker room to shoot the ball,” Towns said in the locker room after the game, via SNY. “It just didn’t find me. The opportunity wasn’t available for me in the fourth, and that’s fine, but these guys, they work on their games. I know they can shoot it.”

Karl-Anthony Towns on not taking many shots in the 4th quarter of Game 2:

"The opportunity just didn't come around to shoot it. At the end of the day, I trust everyone in this locker room to shoot the ball. The opportunity wasn't available for me in the 4th and it's fine" pic.twitter.com/RC4Dt6bG8n

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 21, 2026

While Towns is right in saying that the ball didn’t find him a whole lot in the fourth quarter on Monday night, he never once put his foot down with authority and demanded the ball. Instead, he backed off and allowed Kuminga, who can’t guard him, to step in the lane and create havoc playing defense off the ball since Towns was a non-factor, not even looking to get involved on offense.

As much as Hart and others can admit that they need to get Towns more involved, he needs to step up as the six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA performer he is. This fourth-quarter collapse by the Knicks and disappearing act by Towns is nothing new, and it’s yet another chapter in their book of second-half concerns this season.

Hawks finding silent interior success

The fourth-quarter struggles for the Knicks have become a common theme in this series against the Hawks.

In Game 1, Atlanta kept pace with New York in the final quarter, as the Knicks outscored them just 30-28. Of the Hawks’ 28 fourth-quarter points, 16 of them came inside the paint or at the free-throw line.

In Game 2, Atlanta outscored New York 28-15 in the final quarter, with 23 of their 28 points being in the paint or from the free-throw line.

Across the first two games of the series, the Hawks have actually outscored the Knicks 100-98 in the paint. It is clear that the Hawks are finding success in the paint despite being outrebounded 92-76 in the series.

The Hawks get the steal and Jalen Johnson SLAMS it on the other end!

NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/KIE1mvSPNQ

— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) April 21, 2026

As each game has progressed, the Hawks have gained confidence in scoring inside on the Knicks and finding gaps in the defense.

Mike Brown and his staff will obviously have their work cut out for them to try and limit Atlanta’s scoring opportunities in the paint, especially in the fourth quarter, but a lot of the Knicks’ problems go back to their frontcourt.

When the Hawks have run their spread offense with all five players out on the perimeter, both Towns and Robinson, whoever has been on the court at the time, have been exposed as a help-side defender. Whether the Knicks fully commit to constantly rotating or something else, it has become apparent that Towns will need to play a role defensively for New York to regain momentum heading into Game 3.

Can Knicks consistently involve KAT?

Regardless of how much talent the Knicks have on their roster, their success is fueled by Brunson and Towns.

Both stars need to find success for the Knicks to have a chance at chasing a title this year and possibly making it back to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, Towns’ inability to sustain success for all 48 minutes in games has been a key talking point in New York this season.

At times, he looks like one of the best big men in the league, especially when he is able to put the ball on the ground and hunt his driving opportunities instead of constantly settling for perimeter jumpers.

Other times, Towns backs off and doesn’t command his space, either letting others run the Knicks’ offense or settling for contested jumpers.

If Game 2 taught the Knicks anything, it’s that they must get Towns involved early and quickly in the fourth quarter of games to set the tempo.

The Hawks have taken the fight to the Knicks on their home floor in two straight games entering the final quarter of play, and as a result, they’ve gained a ton of confidence in this series against New York.

Maybe Towns will struggle to score at times, and his shots won’t fall, but taking two shots in the fourth and being non-existent when it comes to fighting for offensive rebounds and making a stand on defense cannot happen.

With the series now heading to Atlanta for two games, the Knicks cannot afford Towns being a non-factor in pivotal moments any longer.

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