ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 11 rebounds, and the hot-shooting New York Knicks took command with 40 points in the second period and beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-105 on Saturday.
OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Mikal Bridges added 20 for the Knicks, who solidified their hold on third place in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks made 15 of 29 3-pointers and overall were good on 53.6% of their shots from the field (45 of 84).
Trae Young scored 16 points for Atlanta while setting the team record for assists in a season. The Hawks are now locked into the play-in tournament, with the Milwaukee Bucks clinching a playoff spot after Atlanta's third straight loss and fifth in six games.
All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, who on Friday for the first time since spraining his right ankle on March 6, missed his 15th consecutive game. He participated in pregame warmups.
鈥淗e's very close,鈥� coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. 鈥淲hen he's ready, we'll know.鈥�
The Knicks are 9-6 since Brunson was hurt in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Takeaways
Knicks: The Knicks outscored Atlanta 40-22 in the second quarter to lead 78-53 at halftime.
Hawks: Young had nine assists and passed Doc Rivers' team record of 823 assists in the 1986-87 season. Young leads the NBA with 11.6 assists per game. He began the game tied with Rivers' single-season record and claimed the mark with a first-quarter pass that set up a dunk by Mouhamed Gueye. Young also recorded his 500th career steal in the first half.
Key moment
The Knicks led 51-41 before stretching the lead to 25 points with a 15-0 run. Anunoby's 3-pointer capped the run for a 66-41 lead.
Key stat
The Knicks' 78 first-half points are the most allowed by Atlanta before halftime this season.
Up next
Each team plays again on Sunday. Atlanta hosts Utah while the Knicks host Phoenix.
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AP NBA:
Charles Odum, The Associated Press
