CJ McCollum’s groin kick on Jalen Brunson became the flashpoint of Game 1 as the Knicks won 113-102 and took a 1-0 series lead.
The postseason got physical fast in Game 1 between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks, and CJ McCollum’s kick at Jalen Brunson’s groin added a surreal twist to an already tense first-round matchup.
McCollum. speaking after the 113-102 Knicks win on Saturday. downplayed the incident with humor. telling reporters that Brunson made the moment feel like a performance.. “I shot a jumper and Jalen thought we were at a Broadway show,” McCollum said.. He added that once officials reviewed it, the play was handled as what he described as a normal jump-shot situation.. Brunson, for his part, also played it down, saying it wasn’t purposeful and that the teams would move forward.
The sequence unfolded in the third quarter as the Hawks looked for answers in the early stretch of New York’s lead.. McCollum attempted a jumper and kicked Brunson between the legs while rising.. Brunson stayed down briefly, and officials reviewed the contact before calling a technical foul on McCollum.. In the moment. it was the kind of play that can swing momentum in the playoffs—part injury scare. part referee decision. part psychological pressure.
After the technical free throw, the Knicks maintained a 58-55 lead near the beginning of the third quarter.. The Hawks answered quickly. leveling the score. but the Knicks’ response was immediate and decisive: a 10-2 run pushed New York back in front and widened the distance the Hawks needed to cover.. From there. the game tilted further toward New York. with the Knicks closing the third quarter up by nine and continuing to control the rhythm in the fourth.
The bigger picture was reflected in the way the Knicks stretched leads without letting Atlanta back in.. They pushed advantage to as many as 19 points in the final period and ultimately held on to secure the 1-0 series edge.. In a first-round opener. that kind of margin matters—because it signals both offensive consistency and enough defensive discipline to survive even a disruptive incident.
For the individual performances. McCollum carried the Hawks’ scoring load and still managed to stay productive after a moment that could have derailed his night.. He finished with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including four made threes on nine attempts.. He also contributed four rebounds and an assist, while committing five turnovers.. Those turnovers matter in playoff series where opponents can punish even small gaps. but Atlanta’s larger issue wasn’t just the execution—it was the Knicks’ ability to convert key stretches into separation.
Brunson’s stat line, meanwhile, provided the clearest counterpoint to the incident.. He scored 28 points, with 19 coming in the first quarter, and he added seven assists and five rebounds.. He shot 9-of-22 from the field and went 3-for-4 from three.. Beyond the numbers, that early burst gave New York a foundation to lean on when the game got chippy.. Even after Brunson went down. New York never lost the initiative in the way a playoff contender can’t afford to.
There’s also a psychological layer to what happened.. A playoff is where players learn quickly how to manage conflict—how to react. how to sell contact without crossing lines. and how to keep an edge without turning a game into chaos.. McCollum’s comment about “Broadway” suggests he sees the incident as part of that chess match. while Brunson’s response signals a preference to protect focus rather than fuel a rivalry on the referee’s clock.
With Game 2 scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m.. ET. the Knicks will look to build on the lead with the confidence that comes from winning the opener despite a tense swing in the third quarter.. The Hawks. meanwhile. will need to tighten ball security and make sure their comeback spurts don’t stall into quick Knicks counter-runs.. For now. the series begins with a Knicks win. a groin-kick flashpoint. and a reminder that in the playoffs. even a jump-shot can become the headline.
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