Mike Brown said the Knicks got the matchup they wanted on the team's disastrous final possession, which ended without a game-winning shot attempt.

The Knicks opened their first-round series as a solid favorite (-360) to beat the upstart Hawks.

But after falling into a 2-1 hole, entering Game 4 in Atlanta, the Knicks are now underdogs to move on to the second round.

The Knicks have lost four straight playoff series when losing two of the first three games.

The last time the Knicks overcame a 2-1 series deficit was in the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals, when they knocked off Pat Riley and the Miami Heat in seven games.

The wild finish to Game 3 did not include Mikal Bridges, who sat for the large majority of the second half due to ineffectiveness. Bridges finished scoreless, missing his only three shots, while committing four turnovers in 21 minutes.

Deuce McBride replaced him down the stretch, scoring 15 points off the bench, hitting 5-of-10 3-pointers.

OG Anunoby scored a game-high 29 points with nine rebounds. Jalen Brunson had 26 points, with four assists and three turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks and two assists.

Captain clutch failed to come through on the final possession, with Jalen Brunson dribbling himself into a double-team on the baseline, before throwing an off-target pass to Josh Hart, allowing time to expire.

The Hawks now hold a stunning 2-1 series lead, entering Game 4 on Saturday.

C.J. McCollum had been quiet after a scorching start, scoring just five second-half points.

But the Hawks veteran – who torched the Knicks in the first two games — is playing the hero again, hitting a go-ahead jumper with 12.5 seconds left to give Atlanta a 109-108 lead.

The Knicks hold a one-point lead with 16.4 seconds left. Atlanta has the ball.

After OG Anunoby hit another 3 with the shot clock expiring and Deuce McBride drilled his fifth attempt from deep, Jalen Brunson put the Knicks in front on a 3-point play with 1:03 remaining. It was the Knicks' first lead since they were up 9-6.

But after a Brunson airball with the shot clock expiring, the Hawks have a chance to win it.

After Karl-Anthony Towns was blocked on a drive to the hoop, OG Anunoby recovered the ball and drilled a corner 3 with the shot clock expiring to put the Knicks down by two.

Knicks closer Jalen Brunson then had the chance to tie the score for the first time in the second half, but his jumper with just over three minutes remaining clanked off the rim.