Knicks rout Hawks in Game 4 behind Karl-Anthony Towns' triple-double, series heads back to MSG tied 2-2

ATLANTA — All eyes were on the starting lineup before the game, an easy sign for just how desperate times were for the Knicks Saturday night. And Mike Brown kept it a secret until a half hour before game time, opting to stay with the same five that the Knicks have leaned on for two years now.

But it wasn’t who was on the floor as much as how the Knicks would handle this test.

And they responded, playing with a fire that they had yet to show in the postseason to dominate a 114-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks, tying the opening-round playoff series at two games each and taking back the home court advantage.

The series heads to Madison Square Garden Tuesday for Game 5.

Brown was under fire. Mikal Bridges was lost. Deuce McBride had talked about playing for their lives on this night. But the Knicks lifted themselves out of the hole thanks to a performance that resonated up and down the roster.

“I thought we did a great job coming out with more tenacity, more desperation I think is the proper word,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.

“Our team did a great job of just weathering the storm and being the ones to initiate physicality today. That’s a great team over there. Very well-coached team. So, we understood that in a pivotal game like tonight, we needed to be our best. I thought we not only met the challenge but we exceeded the expectation in the moment, and that’s what you expect a team that has experience like us to do.”

“I don’t think it’s anything encouraging about it,” Josh Hart said. “I think it just reinforces the kind of guys that we have in this locker room. We’ve put ourselves in this position. I know the character we have [and] we were ready to answer back today and, like I said, be ready to build off of it for Game 5.”

They needed someone to lift them and while it has been Jalen Brunson who has put the team on his shoulders so many times, with the Atlanta Hawks’ defense intent on stopping or at least slowing him, someone else would have to step forward.

What the Knicks have tried to tell anyone who will listen is that it’s all of them and any of them. And on this night, with Brunson having to fight for every one of his 19 points, when the Knicks desperately needed it, it was.

Towns delivered the sort of star turn that he has shown throughout his career, posting his first career playoff triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

With Brunson blanketed at every turn the Knicks used Towns as a hub, letting him orchestrate, finding cutters and open shooters as the Atlanta defense tried to slow his scoring.

“I just feel like opportunities presented themselves, and my teammates made it happen today,” Towns said. “They made great cuts and allowed me to make those plays you guys are talking about, playmaking. So, shout out to my teammates making great moves to the basket and allowing me to utilize my skill.”

“He’s a special talent,” said OG Anunoby, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds. “He can do it all. And I know if I get open, he’ll find me. No matter how tight the window is, he’ll be able to find it. It’s amazing playing with a player like him.”

It was Towns, Anunoby and Brunson who did much of the scoring, but Hart continued his defensive work, shutting down whatever Atlanta player got a hot hand and scoring nine points in the second quarter as the Knicks pulled away.

And off the bench Jordan Clarkson and Deuce McBride each played more minutes than Bridges. Bridges played 15:53 in the first half, but less than four minutes in the third quarter before getting pulled and not getting in again.

“At the end of the day, that’s why it’s a team game,” Brown said. “Sometimes guys like [Brunson] can struggle but the one thing he continued to do, they got to pay attention to him.

They sent double teams at him, which gave other guys wide-open looks. And he set good screens. No matter who it is — if KAT is struggling, he’s got to find other ways to help us win. If Jalen’s struggling to shoot it, he’s got to find other ways to help us win. If OG is struggling to shoot it or not getting enough touches, or Mikal, whoever it is, they just got to keep trying to find different ways to help us win.

“Jalen did. He created double-teams, Deuce got some wide-open looks. If they’re going to keep doubling him, we got to make sure we knock the shot down.”

The Knicks seemed to have solved the troubles that the Hawks had given them to this point. Much of the offense operated through Towns and the defense attacked with a physical edge,

While Brown didn’t pull the trigger on a lineup change, he did get the start he wanted, the Knicks opening a seven-point lead after one quarter and upping it to 14 at halftime as Hart’s aggression defensively slowed CJ McCollum.

Just 32 seconds into the half Brunson was on the floor and as the Hawks tried to tie him up, Daniel dove across his legs, landing on his left ankle. Less than a minute later, Brunson exited and headed straight to the locker room. The Knicks’ 14-point halftime lead had already been trimmed to nine.

But Jose Alvarado entered and with a three-pointer and a backcourt steal leading to an Anunoby layup, the Knicks were able to stretch the lead to 19 when Brunson returned to the game with 5:38 left in the third quarter.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.