Knicks advance past Hawks on back of biggest halftime lead in NBA Playoff history originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Knicks came into Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks one game away from advancing, and they certainly played like they didn’t want to let this series continue.
New York produced a historic first half, outscoring the Hawks by 47 points over 24 minutes. That included 40- and 43-point quarters in the first and second, respectively, while holding Atlanta to 15 and 21 points in each frame.
At one point, the Knicks trailed 5-9, but they proceeded to go on a 67-13 run to create a 50-point margin in the first half. New York had everything working on both ends of the court, while Atlanta struggled to both score and slow the Knicks down.
The Knicks went on a 67-13 run to take a 50-point lead in a Game 6.
This is a thing that happened. pic.twitter.com/pGfqBtN6qJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 1, 2026
New York was able to cruise in the second half, as it outscored the Hawks by four points to secure a 140-89 victory. With the win, the Knicks became the first Eastern Conference team to move on to the second round of the playoffs.
Here’s how the Knicks made history on Thursday night.
Biggest halftime leads in NBA Playoff history
The Knicks dominated the first half on Thursday night, outscoring the Hawks 83-36 in the first 24 minutes. That makes this the largest halftime lead in NBA playoff history, beating a record that the Cleveland Cavaliers set in 2017.
| Rank | Year | Round | Game | Margin |
| 1. | 2026 | First Round, Game 6 | Knicks 83, Hawks 36 | 47 |
| 2. | 2017 | Conference Finals, Game 2 | Cavaliers 72, Celtics 31 | 41 |
| 3. | 1987 | First Round, Game 2 | Pistons 76, Bullets 36 | 40 |
| 4. | 2025 | First Round, Game 4 | Cavaliers,72 Heat, 33 | 39 |
Knicks-Hawks first half box score
Here’s a look at the box score from both teams in the first half.
Knicks box score
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FGM-FGA | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | +/1 |
| Jalen Brunson | 19 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4-8 | 1-5 | 4-4 | +33 |
| Josh Hart | 17 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3-6 | 1-2 | 0-1 | +29 |
| Mikal Bridges | 18 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7-9 | 0-0 | 2-2 | +37 |
| OG Anunoby | 20 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10-12 | 4-6 | 2-3 | +40 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 18 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 10-10 | +28 |
| Mitch Robinson | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | +29 |
| Jordan Clarkson | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2-2 | +20 |
| Jose Alvarado | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | +14 |
| Deuce McBride | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | +11 |
Hawks box score
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FGM-FGA | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | +/1 |
| C.J. McCollum | 13 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3-8 | 1-3 | 2-2 | -22 |
| Dyson Daniels | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | -36 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 3-3 | -29 |
| Jalen Johnson | 20 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4-11 | 0-2 | 3-3 | -35 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 16 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | -29 |
| Corey Kispert | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | +3 |
| Jonathan Kuminga | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 0-2 | -40 |
| Mouhamed Gueye | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | -17 |
| Buddy Hield | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -8 |
| Gabe Vincent | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | -25 |
Biggest blowouts in NBA Playoff history
The biggest blowout in playoff history is 58 points, which has happened twice. First, the Minneapolis Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1958 during a Western Division game. Then, in 2009, the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Hornets 121-63 in Game 4 of the first round.
| Rank | Year | Series | Game | Margin |
| 1. | 2009 | West First Round | Nuggets 121, Hornets 63 | 58 |
| 1956 | West Semifinals | Lakers 133, Hawks 75 | 58 | |
| 3. | 1973 | West Finals | Lakers 126, Warriors 70 | 56 |
| 4. | 2025 | East First Round | Cavaliers 128, Heat 73 | 55 |
| 5. | 2015 | East First Round | Bulls 120, Bucks 66 | 54 |
| 6. | 2025 | West First Round | Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80 | 51 |
| 2026 | East First Round | Knicks 140, Hawks 89 | 51 | |
| 8. | 1971 | West Semifinals | Bucks 136, Warriors 86 | 50 |