(SRN NEWS/AP) – OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half to lead visiting New York to a historic 140-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the Knicks won their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-2.
It was the most points scored by the Knicks in a playoff game and the 51-point margin of victory their largest in the postseason. The only bigger victory margin in club history came earlier this year, when New York routed the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on Jan. 21.
The Hawks endured the second-worst postseason defeat in franchise history. The then-St. Louis Hawks lost 133-75 to the Minneapolis Lakers on March 19, 1956.
New York, who produced a 63-11 first-half run, led by as many as 61 and beat the Hawks for the third straight game to advance to the conference semifinals for the fourth straight year. Karl-Anthony Towns had his second career playoff triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, along with three steals. The starters were out of the game midway in the third quarter.