New York Knicks Beat Atlanta Hawks By 51 As Fight Leads To Ejections In Game 6

The New York Knicks made sure that there would be no winner-take-all match against the Atlanta Hawks, pummeling their Eastern Conference rival in Game 6 of their first-round series, 140-89, to advance to the next round. The Knicks now await the winner of the Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers series which is currently tied at 3-3.

The Knicks were determined from the opening buzzer, setting the tone early. In fact, they led at the half, 83-36, setting an NBA record for the largest halftime lead ever in an NBA playoff game per ESPN.

New York never looked back from there, practically cruising for the rest of the game. They led by as much as 61 points, another NBA record in the play-by-play era.

Their 51-point winning margin allowed them to tie the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder for the sixth spot for the biggest blowouts in NBA playoff history.

The Thunder demolished the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2025 playoffs, winning 131-80 last April. The Denver Nuggets own the record for the largest winning margin in a playoff game, dumping the New Orleans Pelicans 121-63 on 27 April 2009.

Robinson-Daniels Altercation Adds Tension to One-sided Affair

It was understandable that the Hawks were frustrated with the loss. That already showed in the first half alone, with things getting chippy in the second quarter.

OG Anunoby of the Knicks had just converted both of his free throws when Mitchell Robinson and the Hawks' Dyson Daniels got entangled. Robinson took exception to Daniels' actions, leading to a scuffle that needed the intervention of players and staff from each team.

No punches were thrown and everything eventually settled down. However, Robinson and Daniels were ejected from the game following reviews of the incident.

Why Robinson Reacted Violently

Considering the Hawks were down 71-22 at that point, Daniels' frustration was understandable. Unfortunately, Robinson's reaction was also understandable, likely thinking that players wanted to get him hurt. The 28-year-old has a history of injury problems, a reason why he has played a total of just 72 games in the past two NBA seasons.

Knicks coach Mike Brown admitted that it was unfortunate, especially with his team leading by a wide margin.

'If somebody feels like something that shouldn't happen to them happened, it's hard to keep your composure in that moment,' Brown said.

For his part, Hawks coach Quin Snyder claimed he was caught off guard by the scuffle but admitted that they were being outplayed by the Knicks.

'I know that both teams were competing and they were having their way with us on many, many levels - as evidenced by the scoreboard,' Snyder said.

Robinson Suspension Unlikely

With the Hawks' season over, any sanctions the NBA may send out will hardly affect Daniels. However, if the league does issue one, it could be bad news for Robinson and the Knicks.

The good news is that despite the incident, no punches were thrown. NBA referee Kevin Scott took a tumble trying to break the fracas, but there is no evidence that either Daniels or Robinson did that intentionally.

Brown, Robinson and the rest of the Knicks are expected to make the most out of the extended lull as they await their next opponent. Game 7 of the Celtics vs. Sixers series will be on Saturday, 2 May, with the Cs 8.5-point favourites to prevail over Philly, per The Arizona Republic.