Live from New York … it’s a 1-0 lead in the NBA Playoffs.

The New York Knicks swiped early postseason momentum from the Atlanta Hawks in the opener of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 113-102 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Jalen Brunson’s scorching start created an early lead that New York never relinquished and a sweltering defensive effort sealed the deal as distance was created on the scoreboard. He ended the game with 28 points, three ahead of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Josh Hart pulled in 14 boards next to 11 tallies while creating several key turnovers and the starting five endeavors were rounded out by OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who shot a combined 11-of-18 from the field.

Both sides got off to a sterling start after tip-off, the offensive explosion headlined by Brunson hitting each of his first six tries from the field en route to 19 points in the opening frame alone. Following a tight contested first, the Knicks took a lasting lead with a 13-1 run that spanned the opening periods. Only a 58-all tie in the opening minute of the third broke the New York exclusivity on the scoreboard.

Even with that nearly-eternal advantage, the Knicks had to stave off several Atlanta rallies, ones that were readily led by CJ McCollum and Onyeka Okongwu.

The in-season acquisition McCollum had 17 first half points while the lone leftover from the 2021 squad that beat the Knicks in their prior postseason meeting likewise had his shooting touch early on. A McCollum three punctuated a 15-6 run that cut an 11-point deficit to two just after the halfway mark while and Okongwu kept it at a couple going into the break with a three sunk with but a tenth of a second left on the board..

A Towns three gave the Knicks the lead back for good but Atlanta continued to hover with a continued shared shooting pace and factors both within and beyond metropolitan control.

A brief foray into the “Bewitch-a-Mitch” attack that sent Mitchell Robinson to the free throw line. It only lasted for four tries in the third but with Robinson on the bench and unable to help Towns in the post, Atlanta pulled in four more rebounds (including all five on the offensive glass). The cause was further deterred by Anunoby’s departure due to a rolled ankle, though he would later return with little ill effects from the incident.

Towns, the backups, and the second unit would win up providing the ultimate difference in the momentum-generating victory: Miles McBride showcased the Knicks’ depth with two fourth period threes that sustained a double-figure advantage. From there, Atlanta got no closer than seven as Towns hit all four of his shots in the frame while frustrating the length-heavy Atlanta lineup at both ends of the floor.

With Towns and Hart’s post work leading the way, New York’s lead inflated to as much as 19 and provided just enough of a pad to render a late Atlanta run overseen by Nickeil Alexander-Walker irrelevant. The finale provided a strong bookend in a tail of two halves for Towns: he got up only six shots over the first 24 (hitting one) but went 5-of-7 the rest of the way while being perfect from the three-point and charity stripes. Towns also took better care of the ball after losing four turnovers in the first 24.

Sixth-seeded Atlanta was paced by 26 points from McCollum while Jalen Johnson added 23 in defeat. The Hawks’ desperation to get Robinson to the line in the third mostly backfired despite the center going just 1-of-4: the excessive fouling put the Knicks in the bonus relatively early on and the non-Robinson New Yorkers were a perfect 9-of-9. Atlanta, in turned, had just two such tries in the period, both thrown up by Mouhamed Gueye.

Game 2 of the series is set for Monday night at The Garden (8 p.m. ET, NBC).