The Knicks were defeated by the Hawks 109-108 in Game 3 of their first-round matchup on Thursday night.

Atlanta now leads the series, 2-1.

Here are some takeaways...

- The Knicks' offensive struggles from the fourth quarter of Game 2 carried over to the opening quarter of Game 3. New York started slow and never quite found their footing, shooting just 35 percent from the field, including 1-for-10 from three, while turning the ball over six times to put themselves behind early.

Jalen Brunson (11) and OG Anunoby (10) were the only Knicks to score, combining for all 21 of the team's points.

Atlanta started slow as well, but quickly found their footing, shooting 60 percent from the field and 75 percent from three as a team to open up an 11-point advantage after the opening 12 minutes. The Hawks received early contributions from up and down their bench, outscoring New York's reserves 18-0.

- Unlike Game 2, Mike Brown had Karl-Anthony Towns open the second quarter with the second unit. The big man was able to get going, recording his first three buckets of the night and pulling in four boards to help keep the Knicks within striking distance after Atlanta pushed the lead all the way out to 15.

Just when it looked like the Hawks recaptured the momentum led by CJ McCollum's 11 second-quarter points, they missed their final five shots of the half, and the Knicks put together a late run highlighted by back-to-back Miles McBride threes to cut the deficit down to eight at the break.

Both Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges were held without a point in the first half.

- The third was another stretch of back-and-forth runs. Atlanta pushed the advantage out to 15 coming out of the locker room before the Knicks came surging back to cut it all the way back down to a two-possession game, but the Hawks countered once again and got it back to eight heading into the fourth.

Brown switched Hart onto McCollum for the first time, and he held him to just two third-quarter points.

- New York went without Brunson and Towns to open the fourth, and while they were able to keep the deficit to just 10 points, that lineup struggled once again. The first four possessions of the final frame featured three consecutive misses from three-point land and the team's 14th turnover of the night before the dynamic duo came back in.

The Knicks refused to go down quietly, using a late surge to help cut the deficit back down to just one possession. After struggling early, they were able to find their touch from behind the arc, as Anunoby and McBride knocked down clutch threes down the stretch of regulation.

Brunson's lay-in plus the foul gave New York a three-point lead with just over a minute left. Atlanta answered with a bucket, then came up with a massive stop on the other end, before McCollum knocked down a fadeaway jumper to put them back in front with 12.5 remaining.

Brunson turned the ball over on a sloppy possession, as New York suffered its second straight loss.

- The captain finished with 26 points on 11-of-23 from the field, Anunoby led the team with 29, and Towns had 21 points and 17 rebounds, while Hart and Bridges combined for just two points. McBride took advantage of his opportunity, knocking down five threes off the bench.

Game MVP: CJ McCollum

McCollum was once again a thorn in the Knicks' side, knocking down the late winner.

Here are some takeaways...

Game MVP: CJ McCollum

Highlights

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