Knicks continue to throw breakout Hawks star Jalen Johnson off his game
The New York Knicks have effectively limited Atlanta Hawks star Jalen Johnson's impact throughout their first-round playoff series, holding him below his regular-season averages in scoring, rebounding, and assists. Despite being Atlanta's most versatile player during the 2025-26 season, Johnson has struggled with efficiency and consistency against New York's physical defense. The Knicks' defensive focus on Johnson contributed to their 126-97 Game 5 victory, giving them a 3-2 series lead. Johnson acknowledged the heightened physicality of the playoffs and admitted his team failed to match the Knicks' intensity.
- ▪Jalen Johnson averaged 19.5 points, seven rebounds, and 4.8 assists in the first five games, below his regular-season averages of 22.5, 10.3, and 7.9, respectively.
- ▪Johnson shot 41.9% from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range through the first four games of the series.
- ▪The Knicks held Johnson to 14 points on 4-for-12 shooting in Game 4 and 18 points on 7-for-15 in Game 5.
- ▪Johnson, a first-time All-Star in 2026, admitted after Game 5 that the Knicks 'punked us' and that Atlanta failed to match their intensity.
- ▪New York's defensive effort helped limit Atlanta to just 98 points in Game 4, its lowest total since March 20.
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NBA New York Knicks Knicks continue to throw breakout Hawks star Jalen Johnson off his game By Zach Braziller Published April 28, 2026, 11:58 p.m. ET For all the talk throughout this first-round series of the Knicks’ issues defending Hawks guard CJ McCollum, you haven’t heard much about Atlanta’s top player, Jalen Johnson. That’s because he has been kept under wraps. See Also Knicks’ Game 5 report card: Mike Brown pushed all the right buttons The 6-foot-8 Johnson was the Hawks leader in scoring (22.5), rebounding (10.3) and assists (7.9) during the regular season. It was a breakout campaign for the 24-year-old wing. That success hasn’t carried over into the postseason.
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