Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks Game 2 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The third-seeded Knicks held serve at home in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series opener against the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, with Game 2 from Madison Square Garden on Monday night. New York is -5.5 with a total of 217.5 on the NBA odds.
Hawks vs. Knicks NBA Betting Odds
New York was -275 on the series line entering Game 1 and Atlanta +220, and following the Knicks’ 11-point victory they are now -425 with the Hawks +330. On the series spread of -1.5, New York is -165 and Atlanta +140. The over-under for total games is 5.5 with the over at -130 and I lean that way. Yet Knicks in five is the +270 exact series score favourite. I’ll stick with New York in seven at +370.
The Hawks entered the playoffs as one of the NBA’s hottest teams since the All-Star break and were on fire offensively in that stretch, averaging nearly 123 points per game with the league’s fifth-best efficiency. But they hit a Knicks wall in the Game 1 loss with only 47 second-half points in the 113-102 defeat. Guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a Toronto native and candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, had a breakout regular season in averaging 20.8 points per game and shooting nearly 40 per cent from deep, but he was 6-for-17 in the opener.
Will the Hawks again intentionally foul Knicks centre Mitchell Robinson? He’s a terrible free-throw shooter (40.8 per cent in the regular season) so Atlanta did send him to the line a few times to rattle New York. Robinson was 1-for-4 from there before being subbed out. He only played 15 minutes.
Atlanta Hawks
Predicted Atlanta to lose 114-110 in Game 1 on Saturday, but the Hawks weren’t able to cover the 6-point number in the 113-102 defeat. They have little chance of a road upset if All-Star Jalen Johnson doesn’t shoot better. He was 8-for-19 in the opener. The only Atlanta player to shoot well was veteran guard CJ McCollum, who led the club with 26 points. It marked McCollum’s 19th career playoff game with at least 25 points.
Dyson Daniels managed only four points on 2-for-7 shooting but had a game-high 11 assists along with nine rebounds and three steals. Dyson became only the fourth Hawks player since at least the 1982-83 postseason to tally at least 10 assists and three steals in a playoff game and only the second to do with while pulling down a least nine boards.
Atlanta has lost five straight playoff series after dropping Game 1 with its last such series win in 2015. The Hawks have lost seven straight Game 2s overall and 15 in a row of them on the road with the last win in 1997.
When falling behind 2-0 in a playoff series, Atlanta is 0-21 in them. The Hawks are 1-4 ATS in their past five. Note that starting centre Onyeka Okongwu is questionable for Game 2, but it would be a surprise if he didn’t play.
New York Knicks
Pretty simply, the Hawks couldn’t slow down New York stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns in the opener as the Knicks improved to 5-1 in their past six Game 1s. Brunson recorded 28 points, seven assists and five rebounds for his ninth playoff game as a Knick with at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds. That ranks second in franchise history.
Brunson also had his 20th playoff game with the team scoring at least 20 points in the first half, which is a team record. It was his 30th playoff game with at least 25 points to pass Hall of Famer Walt Frazier for the second-most such in franchise history.
Towns had 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks, his first career playoff game with at least 25 points and three ore more blocks. The only other Knick to have such a game previously was Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. It was the fourth time that both Brunson and KAT had at least 25 points in the same playoff game to tie the team record for any duo.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder summed it up best regarding Brunson and Towns:
“It’s a little bit of pick your poison, you know? How do you handle [KAT] on the post with a mismatch? Do you just guard him? How do you handle pick and roll? How do you handle him and Brunson on pick a roll? I think for us to be prepared for all those situations, you can adjust every time down the court.”
The Knicks are 6-0 ATS in their past six.
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