CJ MCCOLLUM knocked down a go-ahead basket as Atlanta Hawks pulled off a 109-108 escape over New York Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference first round series on Thursday (Friday in the Philippines) in Atlanta.
Leading by double-digits early in the game, the Hawks suddenly found themselves trailing at 105-108 via a three-point play by Knicks guard Jalen Brunson with under a minute left.
The Hawks then trimmed the deficit to 107-108 with a conversion from Jalen Johnson before taking the lead with a McCollum basket. Atlanta later sealed the win with a turnover from Brunson at the buzzer.
McCollum finished with 23 points, including two three-pointers, to go with five rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and one assist as the Hawks took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Johnson led the way with a near triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, while Jonathan Kuminga and Nickeil Alexander-Walker ended with 21 and 14, respectively.
OG Anunoby paced the Knicks with 29 points, Brunson added 26 markers, Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 21 points and 17 rebounds, and Mitch McBride contributed 15 markers.
Meanwhile, Toronto Raptors pulled one back from their homecourt with a 126-104 Game 3 domination against Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs remained ahead in their first round series, 2-1.
RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 33 points apiece, Collin Murray-Boyles added 22 markers, while Jamison Battle and Brandon Ingram had 14 and 12, respectively.
James Harden led the Cavaliers with 18 points, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus chipped in 15 markers apiece, while Jaylon Tyson and Jarrett Allen tallied 13 and 12, respectively.
Minnesota Timberwolves also surged to a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference first round series after a 113-96 win over Denver Nuggets in Game 3. Ayo Dosunmu led the way with 25 points, while Jaden McDaniels added 20./PN
