May 2026

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The wildest numbers of the Knicks’ record 47-point beatdown of the Hawks in first half of Game 6

That probably wasn’t the kind of history the Atlanta Hawks wanted to make on Thursday.

As the buzzer sounded to end the first half, the Hawks found themselves down 83-36 to the New York Knicks in an elimination game. That’s not just a beatdown, it’s the largest halftime lead in the history of the NBA playoffs at 47 points.

But that wasn’t the end of the futility for Atlanta. Let’s just run through how bad a half of basketball that was, via the magic of numbers.

That was the Knicks’ largest lead of the first half. If that margin held up to halftime, it would have been the largest halftime lead in NBA history, regular season or postseason. The current record-holder is 50 points, held by the Dallas Mavericks in 2020.

There were plenty of ridiculous scores in that first half — 48-15, 72-22, 83-35 — but the most absurd was 60-19. That’s the precise score that led to the scoreboard displaying “Kinda One Sided Isn’t It” in Space Jam.

The Haws committed eight turnovers in the first quarter, then two more in the first minute of the second quarter. That’s 12 turnovers in the span of 13 minutes.

There have been 4,550 playoff games in the history of the NBA. That’s 9,099 teams the Hawks performed worse than in the first half.

Bench forward Mouhamed Gueye had a plus/minus of minus-17 in the first half. That is normally bad. In the context of the Hawks, it was the best mark of any player who saw more than five minutes. The worst: Jonathan Kuminga at minus-40 in 12 minutes.

Hawks guard Dyson Daniels was ejected in the second quarter after getting into it with Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson, leaving the game with 3 points on 1-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes.

The wildest numbers of the Knicks’ record 47-point beatdown of the Hawks in first half of Game 6

That probably wasn’t the kind of history the Atlanta Hawks wanted to make on Thursday.

As the buzzer sounded to end the first half, the Hawks found themselves down 83-36 to the New York Knicks in an elimination game. That’s not just a beatdown, it’s the largest halftime lead in the history of the NBA playoffs at 47 points.

But that wasn’t the end of the futility for Atlanta. Let’s just run through how bad a half of basketball that was, via the magic of numbers.

That was the Knicks’ largest lead of the first half. If that margin held up to halftime, it would have been the largest halftime lead in NBA history, regular season or postseason. The current record-holder is 50 points, held by the Dallas Mavericks in 2020.

There were plenty of ridiculous scores in that first half — 48-15, 72-22, 83-35 — but the most absurd was 60-19. That’s the precise score that led to the scoreboard displaying “Kinda One Sided Isn’t It” in Space Jam.

The Haws committed eight turnovers in the first quarter, then two more in the first minute of the second quarter. That’s 12 turnovers in the span of 13 minutes.

There have been 4,550 playoff games in the history of the NBA. That’s 9,099 teams the Hawks performed worse than in the first half.

Bench forward Mouhamed Gueye had a plus/minus of minus-17 in the first half. That is normally bad. In the context of the Hawks, it was the best mark of any player who saw more than five minutes. The worst: Jonathan Kuminga at minus-40 in 12 minutes.

Hawks guard Dyson Daniels was ejected in the second quarter after getting into it with Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson, leaving the game with 3 points on 1-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes.

A 47-point halftime lead! Knicks built a giant edge over the Hawks in Game 6

ATLANTA (AP) — The New York Knicks set an NBA playoff record Thursday night by taking a 47-point halftime lead over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

The Knicks led 83-36 at the break, after leading by as many as 51 at one point in the second quarter.

Before Thursday, the biggest halftime playoff lead was 41 points. It had happened twice: Cleveland led in Boston 72-31 at the break on May 19, 2017, and Indiana led the Cavaliers 80-39 at the half of game on May 11, 2025.

The 47-point lead tied for the second-biggest — including regular season games — in the NBA’s shot-clock era, which started in 1954. Dallas led the Los Angeles Clippers by 50 points at the break on Dec. 27, 2020, and Golden State led Sacramento by 47 at the half of their game on Nov. 2, 1991.

New York also tied for the third-highest first-half point total in NBA playoff history. Oklahoma City scored 87 against Denver on May 7, 2025; Cleveland scored 86 against Golden State on June 9, 2017; and Dallas scored 83 against Sacramento on May 8, 2003.

Atlanta actually had a 9-0 run in the early moments to take a 9-5 lead. The Knicks answered that with a 43-6 run.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson ejected after altercation with Hawks’ Dyson Daniels during Game 6

Mitchell Robinson doesn’t back down from a fight during games, and that attitude got the Knicks center ejected during Thursday’s Game 6 against the Hawks.

With the Knicks up big in the second quarter, Robinson was on the floor while OG Anunoby was taking a free throw. Dyson Daniels of the Hawks tried to box out Robinson and seemingly gave the Knicks big man a strong elbow to the rib area. Robinson didn’t take kindly to the move and got in Daniels’ face and held the Hawks forward. Oneyeka Okongwu pulled Robinson off his teammate, but Daniels must have said something that caused Robinson to go after him again. Players, officials and coaches eventually separated the two, but both were eventually ejected.

Robinson, in his 8:35 minutes on the court, scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting while coming down with three rebounds and picking up two blocks. 

Dyson Daniels, Mitchell Robinson ejected for fight as Knicks embarrass Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks‘ Dyson Daniels and New York Knicks‘ Mitchell Robinson were ejected as tempers boiled over in a one-sided first half Thursday night.

The ejections occurred with 4:39 remaining in the second quarter of Game 6 with the Knicks leading by 50(!) points. Up 72-22, Robinson was called for a loose-ball foul, and things exploded from there.

Robinson took exception to Daniels’ actions when they were trying to box each other out after a free throw and the players latched on to each other. They were pulled apart, with several players and staff ending up on the court in the process, but they repeatedly tried to go after each other.

No punches were thrown and eventually cooler heads prevailed, but both players were ejected from the game after reviews.

The Knicks lead the series 3-2 and are well on their way to punching their ticket to the second round.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dyson Daniels, Mitchell Robinson ejected from Knicks vs Hawks

Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels ejected as Knicks break record for largest NBA playoff halftime lead in Game 6 beatdown of Hawks

ATLANTA — The Hawks finally showed some fight against the Knicks in Game 6 of their opening-round playoff series. Unfortunately, Atlanta was down by 50 points at the time, and the fight ended in ejections.

It was that kind of (probably season-ending) night for Atlanta, which ended up trailing by 47 points (83-36) at the half — the largest halftime deficit ever in an NBA playoff game. The previous record was 41 points, initially set when the Cleveland Cavaliers led the Boston Celtics 72–31 at halftime in Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference finals then tied when the Indiana Pacers led the Cavs 80-39 in Game 4 of their 2025 second-round series.

The Knicks spent the first quarter-plus of Thursday night’s game kicking Atlanta up and down the court, riding a 40-15 first quarter and a combined 55-10 run to bury the Hawks long before halftime. With 4:39 remaining in the first half and New York’s OG Annunoby at the line, Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels and New York’s Mitchell Robinson tangled up … and then all hell broke loose.

The fight spilled over onto the front row of fans, seemingly involving most of the on-court members of both teams. After an initial review, referees ejected both Robinson and Daniels. Video reviews will surely determine whether further punishment will be necessary for any other players, (likely) next round for New York or next season for Atlanta.

The Hawks’ frustration was obvious, even though they had no one to blame but themselves for the mile-deep hole they were in at the time of the fight. The Knicks, meanwhile, rode the wave of the surprisingly large number of New York fans in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, keeping the throttle down even after the ejections.

In almost any other game, this would have been the ugliest moment. But in this one, the fight didn’t come anywhere near the grotesque scoreboard. The game resumed after the ejections, a march to the inevitable for both teams.

Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels ejected as Knicks break record for largest NBA playoff halftime lead in Game 6 beatdown of Hawks

ATLANTA — The Hawks finally showed some fight against the Knicks in Game 6 of their opening-round playoff series. Unfortunately, Atlanta was down by 50 points at the time, and the fight ended in ejections.

It was that kind of (probably season-ending) night for Atlanta, which ended up trailing by 47 points (83-36) at the half — the largest halftime deficit ever in an NBA playoff game. The previous record was 41 points, initially set when the Cleveland Cavaliers led the Boston Celtics 72–31 at halftime in Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference finals then tied when the Indiana Pacers led the Cavs 80-39 in Game 4 of their 2025 second-round series.

The Knicks spent the first quarter-plus of Thursday night’s game kicking Atlanta up and down the court, riding a 40-15 first quarter and a combined 55-10 run to bury the Hawks long before halftime. With 4:39 remaining in the first half and New York’s OG Annunoby at the line, Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels and New York’s Mitchell Robinson tangled up … and then all hell broke loose.

The fight spilled over onto the front row of fans, seemingly involving most of the on-court members of both teams. After an initial review, referees ejected both Robinson and Daniels. Video reviews will surely determine whether further punishment will be necessary for any other players, (likely) next round for New York or next season for Atlanta.

The Hawks’ frustration was obvious, even though they had no one to blame but themselves for the mile-deep hole they were in at the time of the fight. The Knicks, meanwhile, rode the wave of the surprisingly large number of New York fans in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, keeping the throttle down even after the ejections.

In almost any other game, this would have been the ugliest moment. But in this one, the fight didn’t come anywhere near the grotesque scoreboard. The game resumed after the ejections, a march to the inevitable for both teams.

Yankees’ Carlos Rodon strikes out eight in latest rehab start with Somerset

Carlos Rodon made his second rehab start, this time with Somerset, on Thursday night and was dominant.

The Yankees southpaw struck out four batters in his first two innings, including the side in the second. Portland’s Nelly Taylor ambushed Rodon to lead off the third, lining a single to right field. Rodon bounced back, getting the next three batters out in order with his fifth strikeout included.

Portland would get a one-out hit off of Rodon in the fourth, and that runner would reach second on a passed ball. But Rodon left them stranded, and pushing his scoreless innings to four. But that wouldn’t last long, as Miguel Bleis homered to lead off the fifth and end Rodon’s shutout. Rodon shrugged it off to get through the inning, but seemingly ran out of gas in the sixth. After three straight balls, Franklin Arias lined a single to lead off the sixth. Marvin Alcantara followed with a single. Rodon got Nate Baez to fly out before he was replaced after 75 pitches (51 strikes). The runners he left did not score, putting an end to Rodon’s night. 

Rodon allowed one run on five hits while striking out eight batters across 5.1 innings. 

Rodon is close to returning to the Yankees rotation after two successful rehab starts. However, manager Aaron Boone is pumping the brakes on any thought Rodon could make a start with the big league club as early as May 5. 

The Yankees will take their time with Rodon since they have enough depth to withstand it, and will hope to continue to build their southpaw up. 

Rodon threw 65 pitches (43 strikes), allowed one hit while striking out four in 4.1 scoreless innings in his first rehab start with High-A Hudson Valley last Friday. 

New York was hoping to stretch Rodon out to around 75 and they got their wish. It’s likely Rodon will have at least one more rehab appearance, but the Yankees will see how Rodon feels coming off this start before determining next steps.