Knicks crush Hawks by 51 points and advance to Eastern Conference semifinals

ATLANTA. – The New York Knicks secured their spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals after delivering a resounding 140-89 thrashing to the Atlanta Hawks in the sixth game of the series, played at State Farm Arena. The New York team dominated from start to finish and closed the series 4-2, falling just seven points short of matching the largest difference in NBA playoff history. From the first half they made their superiority clear, setting a record with a 47-point lead (83-36) before halftime. In the third quarter, the Knicks further extended the lead to reach a maximum advantage of 61 points, leaving the Hawks completely overwhelmed in front of their home crowd. OG Anunoby led the offense with 29 points, including 26 in the first half, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. With this result, New York advances to the conference semifinals for the fourth consecutive year and keeps alive its aspiration to play in its first Finals since 1999. Their next rival will come from the matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, a series that the Celtics lead 3-2.