There was no mystery about the New York Knicks’ approach Saturday night in the opening game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Nor do the Atlanta Hawks expect any surprises Monday night when the series continues.

The Knicks will look to take a commanding lead in the first-round matchup when they host the Hawks in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series.

New York controlled much of Game 1 on Saturday, never trailing over the final three-plus quarters as it held off a late Atlanta push to secure a 113-102 victory.

Jalen Brunson led the way with a game-high 28 points, 19 of which came in a dominant first quarter for the Knicks, who have now won six of their last eight playoff series openers over the past three seasons.

Brunson managed just one field goal over the final three quarters, but New York’s depth carried the offense. Starters OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges combined for 54 points on 17-of-32 shooting in the final 36 minutes.

That balanced production has been a consistent theme for the Knicks, whose starting five averaged 89.2 points per game during the regular season.

“We feel like the team is deep and anybody can get going at any time,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said. “For us, it’s about sacrificing and not worrying about shots, minutes or anything like that.”

Known for their defensive identity, the Knicks also tightened up after a slow start. New York, which ranked fifth in the NBA by allowing just 110.1 points per game during the regular season while holding opponents to 46 percent shooting, limited Atlanta’s efficiency in the second half.

“I think coming into tonight, we kind of expected the Knicks to just play their style of basketball,” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson said. “I think we did a good job of coming out prepared for that. And then I think in the second half, we’ve just got to continue to play our brand of basketball, continue to play how we play.”

Atlanta, which ranked sixth in the league in scoring at 118.5 points per game and fifth in three-point shooting at 37.1 percent, stayed close early. The Hawks trailed 57-55 at halftime after shooting 45.5 percent from the field, including 8-of-16 from beyond the arc.

However, their offense stalled after halftime. Atlanta scored just 19 points in the third quarter and shot 28.6 percent from three-point range in the second half. The 102 points marked one of their lowest outputs since roster changes following the trade of Trae Young on Jan. 9.

“Our level of physicality without fouling was really good in the second half,” Brown said.

The Hawks showed late resistance in the fourth quarter, hitting three consecutive three-pointers during an 11-0 run that trimmed a 19-point deficit to 106-98. But the rally came too late to change the outcome.

“The formula for us and our identity has been to run and move the ball,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said. “And it’s not like we didn’t do that, but we need to do more of it.”

With momentum firmly on their side, the Knicks will aim to protect home court again in Game 2, while the Hawks look to make adjustments and even the series before it shifts venues. -Field Level Media/Reuters