Knicks fend off Hawks to back up sterling MLK Day record

Jalen Brunson scored 34 points and helped the New York Knicks continue their dominance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a 119-110 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

Brunson made 12 of 18 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, with six assists and one steal.

The Knicks improved to 24-15 in MLK Day games, the most wins on the holiday in NBA history. Atlanta fell to 23-11 on the holiday.

The win was New York's first in three tries against Atlanta this season and ended the team's three-game losing streak to the Hawks. They meet again Feb. 12 in New York.

New York's Mikal Bridges added 26 points (12-of-17 shooting), Josh Hart had 14 points and nine rebounds and Karl-Anthony Towns, who returned after missing the two previous games with a sprained right thumb, had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Atlanta was led by Trae Young with 27 points and six assists and De'Andre Hunter scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half. Onyeka Okongwu added 14 points, nine rebounds and two steals.

The Hawks led by 10 points early in the game after back-to-back 3s from Young and Vit Krejci and went ahead 27-26 after one quarter. New York used an 11-4 run to take a six-point lead, only to have the Hawks score the final seven points of the quarter for a 62-54 halftime lead.

The Knicks outscored the Hawks 40-27 in the third quarter and led by as many as eight after a jumper by Brunson made it 91-83. New York, led by Bridges' 14-point quarter, took a 94-89 lead.

The game was tied at 94-94 when the Knicks went on a 9-1 run that was punctuated by a four-point play by Cameron Payne with 8:39 left. Atlanta never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

New York completes a back-to-back on Tuesday at Brooklyn. The Hawks begin a three-game homestand on Wednesday against Detroit.

--Field Level Media