Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Jalen Brunson had the ball in his hands with a chance to win.
Captain Clutch came up empty.
Trailing by one point in the final seconds, Brunson turned the ball over as the Knicks’ comeback fell short in a 109-108 loss to the Hawks in Game 3 Thursday night at State Farm Arena. The Knicks now trail the series 2-1.
Brunson threw his hands up in exasperation as his pass trickled away from Josh Hart and Hawks-colored confetti fell from the rafters. After trailing by 11 with 8:06 left in the game, the Knicks had a chance to flip the script and pull off their own late-game stunner after collapsing in Game 2.
But in the biggest moment, they didn’t even get a shot off. It took a while to get Brunson the ball — and when he finally got it, the Hawks doubled him in the corner with Onyeka Okongwu and Jonathan Kuminga. Brunson’s pass bounced past Hart, and that was that.
And it was CJ McCollum, the biggest Knicks villain this series, yet again who twisted the knife into the Knicks’ hearts. After going quiet in the second half, he drilled the go-ahead bucket with 12.7 seconds left. It has been McCollum, not Brunson, who has owned this series.
“This should sting,” coach Mike Brown said after the game. “Because we gave ourselves a chance, knowing that we didn’t play our best basketball, so it should sting.
“We need to feel it and get ready to be locked in for the next game, which we will be.”
OG Anunoby hit a 3-pointer with 3:50 left to cut the Knicks’ deficit to just two points. He soon after hit another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one point. Miles McBride — on the floor in place of the benched Mikal Bridges — hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 1:41 left.
Brunson’s and-1 gave the Knicks a 3-point lead with 52.6 seconds left. He then had a chance to ice the game on the next and penultimate possession, but air-balled after the offense broke down with 16.4 seconds left. Then came McCollum’s dagger. Then came Brunson’s game-ending turnover.
“I wish I had a better answer for you,” Brunson said when asked to explain the last two possessions. “I got nothing right now.
In truth, it wasn’t just Brunson who came up empty. The Knicks as a whole came up empty.
They shot just 43.0 percent from the field and a paltry 28.6 percent from 3-point range. They committed 18 turnovers. In the first half, they were unable to slow down the Hawks defensively.
Brunson finished with 26 points, but he was overburdened, missed all five of his 3-pointers and had three turnovers. He was also torched by McCollum again, forcing the Knicks to switch their coverage. McCollum had 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field in the first half. It was Hart, who switched onto McCollum in the second half, who managed to slow him down.
Until the final moments, at least.
“It hurts more that we put ourselves in position to win but we just didn’t close the show,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “I think that’s why everyone is emotional. It’s tough, but we’ve got to keep our heads up. It’s OK to be disappointed. That means we care. We’ve got to get the next one.”
In Bridges’ growing list of lowlights, this was right at the top. He went scoreless, having missed all three shots he took, and committed four turnovers. He was a game-worst minus-26.
And he was benched twice — in the second quarter and the fourth quarter.
Hart, other than his good defense, had nine rebounds and six assists. But he had just two points and was 1-for-9 from the field.
Towns and Anunoby were the only starters with steady offensive production. McBride hit five threes off the bench.
“Right now,” Hart said, “there’s no room to feel sorry for ourselves.”
