Jalen Brunson, KAT, Knicks Lose to Kuminga, Hawks in Game 3 as NBA Fans React to Surprising Series

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks dropped Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs on Thursday night to Jonathan Kuminga and the Atlanta Hawks, 109-108.

Kuminga came up with a clutch steal on Brunson to seal the win and give Atlanta a 2-1 series lead at home.

The No. 6-seeded Hawks came out hot after stealing Game 2 in New York over the No. 3 seed behind a standout performance from CJ McCollum.

McCollum has been tough to contain all series, scoring 26, 32 and 23 points, while adding five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in Game 3.

Kuminga provided a major spark off the bench with 21 points, four rebounds, one steal and one block after opening the game with 10 points on perfect shooting from the field and beyond the arc.

Despite a double-double from Karl-Anthony Towns (21 points, 17 rebounds), 26 points from Brunson and a game-high 29 from OG Anunoby, the Knicks fell into a surprising 2-1 hole on the road.

The Hawks jumped out to a 33-21 lead after an authoritative opening quarter from Kuminga, who scored 10 points, while McCollum added seven.

Atlanta's lead was trimmed to eight by halftime behind 13 first-half points from Brunson and eight from Towns. McCollum entered the break with 16 points, and Jalen Johnson added 10 for Atlanta.

The Hawks carried that eight-point advantage into the fourth quarter with a chance to take a 2-1 series lead over the New York Knicks.

New York responded with a late 6-2 run to briefly take the lead, but clutch buckets from Johnson and McCollum put Atlanta back in front by one, forcing a Knicks timeout. Kuminga then came up with a clutch steal on Brunson to seal the one-point victory.

The winner of the Knicks-Hawks series will move on to face the winner of the No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers matchup in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with that series tied 1-1.

Game 4 between Atlanta and New York is set for Saturday as the series remains in Atlanta.