ATLANTA (AP) — Two playoff wins turned out to be the ceiling for an Atlanta Hawks team that underwent a midseason roster overhaul and exceeded expectations to earn its first outright playoff berth since 2021.
Oddsmakers would call that overachieving, but the nearly 18,000 in attendance at State Farm Arena on Thursday night would find it hard to agree as the Knicks led by as many as 61 points in a stunning 140-89 loss, tied for the sixth-largest margin in NBA playoff history.
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Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) walks off the court during the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the New York Knicks Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) fight in the first half during Game 6 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) reacts during the second half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the New York Knicks Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) looks on after Game 6 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the New York Knicks Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Just one week after the Hawks completed an improbable comeback to beat the Knicks 109-108 and take a 2-1 series lead, that same Atlanta team looked like a shell of itself. And New York came back with a vengeance to put an exclamation point on a 4-2 series win.
“Give credit to the Knicks, whether it's experience or what you attribute it to, I thought their physicality — they made it hard for us,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “Even as the series progressed, you can see what a really good team they are and why they're a contender. We didn't have an answer for that tonight.”
As the series wore on, the Hawks found fewer and fewer answers against a Knicks core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. Quality shots were hard to come by on offense, and defensively, they were caught in a no-win choice between slowing Towns or Brunson.
The Knicks had the advantage in what Atlanta lacked: continuity, with three of their starting five — Brunson, Hart and Bridges — having experience together dating to their college days at Villanova.
The Hawks, meanwhile, relied on a group of newcomers who rallied around a joint cause to lead Atlanta to a pleasantly surprising spring.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a new arrival who had his hand in the turnaround, wasn't interested in a participation trophy. Not after he shot 3 for 8 overall, 1 for 4 from 3-point range and had five turnovers.
“Disgusting," Alexander-Walker said, reflecting on his stats. “The way we lost was, I think, at no point in time at all this season were we that bad. But we were tonight."
Alexander-Walker was selected the NBA’s Most Improved Player after more than doubling his scoring average. It marked the second straight year a Hawks player won the award, underscoring the franchise’s commitment to developing young talent.
Next to Alexander-Walker on nearly every stat sheet was first-time NBA All-Star Jalen Johnson, who topped the Hawks in points (22.5), rebounds (10.3) and assists (7.9) in the regular season.
A breakout season ended on a sour note for Johnson, who was largely minimized during Atlanta's playoff run.
“This is a big learning experience, not only for myself, but just everybody in general. And I’m going to take a lot from this and continue to get better from it," the 6-foot-8 forward said. "We’re growing. We’re going to grow from this. We’re going to definitely be better from it.”
Johnson's message is what Snyder hopes for the young group: Feel the sting, but don't let it last too long.
“Right now, you’re trying to process a really tough night, and also keep in the back of your mind that these guys had a really good season,” Snyder said. “It’s easy, you know, for all of us in that locker room to forget that, particularly in the moment because of tonight, but hopefully, you know, we can do both.”
“You can’t help but have it knock you back,” he added. “That said, sometimes the most difficult things to handle in life are the things that you can use to drive you in whatever way, shape or form that comes.”
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Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) walks off the court during the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the New York Knicks Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) fight in the first half during Game 6 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) reacts during the second half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the New York Knicks Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) looks on after Game 6 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the New York Knicks Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Taylor Frankie Paul, a reality TV star from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” and the father of her 2-year-old son were ordered Thursday to stay 100 feet (30 meters) away from each other for the next three years as a Utah court commissioner continues to assess custody plans for the child.
Paul has been unable to spend unsupervised time with her son since a hearing April 7, when Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas said Paul had a history of volatile behavior directed at her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, while kids were present.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.
Minas on Thursday described the pair's dynamic as “very toxic” before granting Paul and Mortensen's dueling requests for protective orders against each other. He found that “there’s been violence that occurred both ways between these parties” and urged them to figure out how to function as co-parents to their son, Ever.
“I'm hoping that you're not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict,” Minas said. “You've got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict.”
Paul, Mortensen and their families were present in court, but no other cast members from the Hulu reality show attended.
Attorneys for Paul and Mortensen offered competing versions of fights between the pair, with each suggesting the other party was the aggressor.
Paul's attorney Eric Swinyard told the court commissioner that Mortensen is much larger and stronger than Paul — and that when she was faced with physical intimidation from Mortensen during an argument, she responded the same way a lot of people would.
“He said, ‘Hit me,’ and she did,” Swinyard said.
One fight between the two came while Paul was dealing with recent miscarriages, and she felt that Mortensen had been blowing her off while their son was sick.
When Paul lost her footing and fell to the ground, Mortensen kicked her several times in the leg, Swinyard alleged. He submitted to the court photos of her bruises.
Mortensen's attorney Brent Salazar-Hall said his client was a victim of abuse from Paul, but that she kept luring him back with text messages inviting him over for intimacy.
During one argument, Paul and Mortensen were in a truck and she tried to interfere with his driving by squeezing his face, Salazar-Hall said. In response, Mortensen shoved her away, he said.
Paul's lawyers said Mortensen slammed her head into the vehicle's dashboard, causing bruises.
Mortensen has Paul’s initials tattooed on the inside of his lip, which Paul’s attorney pointed to as an example of his possessive nature. Mortensen’s lawyer disagreed with that characterization and said many of the men on the TV show got lip tattoos of their partners’ names in a humorous scene that has not yet aired.
“There seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other, whether it’s physical, whether it’s the thrill between the two of them of making themselves celebrities,” Minas said.
“The problem is that the two of them can’t be together in the same place at the same time before it starts to turn violent,” he added.
Violations of the protective orders could result in criminal charges.
Eleven fights between the exes were under examination in their protective order requests. A recently leaked video of one fight from 2023 prompted ABC to make the unprecedented move last month of shelving an already-filmed season of “The Bachelorette” starring Paul. Hulu also paused production of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and resumed filming last week.
In the video, Paul appeared to punch, kick and throw chairs at Mortensen while her daughter from another relationship watched and cried.
Swinyard alleged that Mortensen leaked that video to the press to ruin Paul’s reality TV career just before her season of “The Bachelorette” was supposed to air.
“Our point with the video is he’s not just trying to come after her for custody. He’s not just trying to seek a protective order. He wants to literally destroy her,” Swinyard said.
Salazar-Hall said Mortensen denies leaking the video.
Just after the fight, Paul was charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. The police body camera footage of her arrest was featured in the first season of the Hulu series.
Paul pleaded guilty to an assault charge, which will be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor if she stays out of legal trouble for a three-year probationary period that ends in August. The other counts were dismissed.
Earlier this month, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office declined to file new charges against Paul in recent fights with Mortensen. Any new charges would have violated Paul's probation from the 2023 assault.
Minas said he would make custody recommendations by May 11. Mortensen has custody in the meantime.
Paul had majority custody of their son before the April 7 hearing.
A protective order in Utah can restrict or eliminate a parent’s ability to see their child. When both parents have protective orders against each other, the court relies heavily on the recommendations of an attorney appointed to investigate the child's best interests.
Paul and Mortensen's son had a court-appointed attorney present at Thursday’s hearing to help the commissioner determine the safest arrangement for the boy.
Associated Press writer Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed.
Dakota Mortensen, left, speaks with his attorney Joel Kittrell in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Taylor Frankie Paul, left, hugs Cheyenne Cranford Mortensen, Dakota Mortensen's mother, after appearing in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Dakota Mortensen appears in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Taylor Frankie Paul appears in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Dakota Mortensen, left, speaks with his attorney Joel Kittrell in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Taylor Frankie Paul appears in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Taylor Frankie Paul, center right, appears in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders between her and her former partner Dakota Mortensen in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Attorney Brent Salazar-Hall, representing Dakota Mortensen, speaks during a hearing regarding protective orders between Taylor Frankie Paul and Mortensen in Third District Court in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Taylor Frankie Paul, second from left, and Dakota Mortensen, far right, appear in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Dakota Mortensen appears in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders between him and his former partner Taylor Frankie Paul in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Taylor Frankie Paul appears in Third District Court for a hearing regarding protective orders between her and her former partner Dakota Mortensen in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
FILE - Taylor Frankie Paul appears at the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
