ATLANTA - Trae Young led the way for the Atlanta Hawks, as usual.
He sure had plenty of help Sunday.
Proving they are far more than a one-man show, the Hawks unleashed a dazzling array of weapons to take control of their series against the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Young scored 27 points, John Collins added 22 despite a smack to the lip and the Hawks frustrated Julius Randle and the Knicks once again, pulling away in the second half for a 113-96 victory and a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"We have so many guys who are skilled with the basketball," Collins said. "We have great chemistry with each other. I think the sky's the limit with this team when we do the right things."
The Hawks will look to wrap up their first playoff series victory since 2016 when they travel to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"Obviously, we're excited to win a game," Young said. "But the job's not done. It's not done until the series is over. We have to have that same mentality, that same approach, try to go up to New York and finish it there."
Atlanta took control in the third quarter, stretching a four-point edge at halftime to an 88-71 lead going to the final period. The Hawks led by 26 before clearing their bench in by far the most lopsided game of the series.
After struggling to hit shots before halftime, Atlanta suddenly found its range. The Hawks went 10-of-19 in the third, including 5-of-9 on 3-point attempts. Young scored nine points in the third, Collins added seven and Bogdan Bogdanovic closed out the quarter with a 3 - all 12 of his points in the game came from outside the arc - that had another big crowd bouncing in the seats.
Randle was serenaded again by chants of "Overrated! Overrated! Overrated!" every time he put one up. The roars were deafening after a sequence in the third when Randle missed on a drive and had a put-back rim out before the Knicks knocked the ball out of bounds.
Less than a minute later, Randle gave Collins a shot to the face on another move toward the basket. Nothing was called initially, but Randle was assessed an offensive foul after a video review prompted by a challenge from Hawks interim coach Nate McMillan.
Collins headed to the locker room to receive four stitches in his upper lip. His bottom lip was also swollen, but he was able to return to the game in the fourth quarter. By then, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
"I loved it," Collins said. "I felt like from the very start, we came out with the mindset that we were not going to let their physical game get to us. We matched their physicality and played our game."
Young and five of his teammates scored in double figures, including Danilo Gallinari with 21 points. A half-dozen Atlanta players knocked down 3-pointers.
Young also had nine assists and joined Stephen Curry, Kevin Johnson and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 25 points and 10 assists through the first four playoff games of their careers.
Randle had his highest-scoring game of the series with 23 points, but he shot just 7-of-19 and found himself surrounded by Atlanta defenders every time he touched the ball. Clearly bothered by all the attention, he was called for a flagrant foul late in the game.
"We've got a Game 5 back at home to extend this series," Randle said. "I love our chances. It's not over. It's not nearly over."
Veteran point guard Derrick Rose, making his second straight start for the Knicks, got off to another strong start but wasn't much of a factor the rest of the way as he finished with 18 points. RJ Barrett scored 21 points for New York, which was outrebounded 48-39. Atlanta center Clint Capela had 15 rebounds and has reached double figures in that stat every game in this series.
The Knicks are making their first playoff appearance since 2013. Unless they can pull off an improbable comeback, it's going to be a brief one.
"We've got to fix it," New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We've got to fix it fast."
If the Knicks win Wednesday, Game 6 would be Friday in Atlanta, where the Hawks have won 13 games in a row and 21 of their past 23. The crowd of 16,458 at State Farm Arena on Sunday afternoon clearly spurred on the Hawks.
"It's been fun these past two games," Young said. "The fans showed up and brought a lot of energy."