The New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks NBA Playoff game is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 23 on Prime Video, with the Knicks entering as 1.5-point favorites on the spread via PrizePicks.
This series just got a lot more interesting after Atlanta neutralized home-court advantage in Game 2. A furious late rally by SG CJ McCollum and the Hawks saw them steal the all-important game from New York, 107-106.
Below, we'll break down our Knicks vs. Hawks prediction and picks for Thursday’s NBA Playoff game, including the spread, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.
Make your picks for Knicks vs. Hawks on PrizePicks now.
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Knicks vs. Hawks Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Thursday, April 23
After the Hawks shook things up at the NBA trade deadline, it's been wily veteran CJ McCollum who's been Atlanta’s best player in this series.
McCollum has led the Hawks in points, dropping 26 in a Game 1 loss before following that up with a 32-point performance in Game 2's victory. At minimum, he's matched star Knicks PG Jalen Brunson’s performance.
The Knicks' fantastic season would mean nothing if they were to get bounced by the Hawks in round one. They finished the regular season with two more wins than last year but still occupy the same No. 3 seed.
If the Knicks want to bounce back in Game 3 and take the series lead in a hostile environment, they likely need more from players not named Brunson or C Karl-Anthony Towns. SG Mikal Bridges and SF Josh Hart have provided very little offensively, while the bench has chipped in only 20 PPG.
Role players tend to play better at home, but the Knicks may have to buck that trend if they hope to keep pace with the Hawks.
Knicks vs. Hawks Spread, Over/Under – Thursday, April 23
The Knicks enter Thursday’s game as 1.5-point road favorites against the Hawks, returning a 1.81x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for the Knicks vs. Hawks game on PrizePicks.
- Spread: New York Knicks -1.5 (1.92x payout)
- Over/Under: 216.5 (1.88x payout on Over)
- Game Winner Payout: Knicks - 1.81x | Hawks - 1.92x
Play the Knicks vs. Hawks spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 35 states!
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks Timeline
Here is the full Knicks vs. Hawks timeline, including the playoff series game-by-game and recent matchup history.
All-Time: Hawks, 210-205
Regular Season: Knicks, 2-1
Series: Tied, 1-1
Knicks vs. Hawks First Round Timeline, Schedule for 2026 NBA Playoffs
- Game 1: Knicks 113, Hawks 102
- Game 2: Hawks 107, Knicks 106
- Game 3: Thursday, April 23, 7:00 p.m. ET in Atlanta
- Game 4: Saturday, April 25, 6:00 p.m. ET in Atlanta
- Game 5: Tuesday, April 28, 8:00 p.m. ETin New York
- Games 6-7 if necessary
Knicks vs. Hawks Prediction on Spread for NBA Playoffs First Round
Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Knicks vs. Hawks prediction on the Spread for Thursday, April 23.
Lock in your Knicks vs. Hawks prediction on PrizePicks before the line moves.
- At home, New York went 27-13 (67.5%) against the spread in the regular season, by far the best home covering record in the NBA. On the road, they are 15-26 (36.6%) ATS, tied for the worst.
- The Hawks have had strong ATS trends, going 45-39 (53.6%) this season.
- Coming into the postseason, Atlanta was playing better basketball than New York. Over their last 10 games, the Hawks have the 10th-best net rating in the NBA (+5.5), 3.0 points clear of the Knicks in 15th (+2.5).
- The Hawks have a notable advantage on offense. Atlanta was seventh (37.1%) in points scored from 3-point range during the regular season.
- The Knicks defense’s biggest weakness comes in defending the long ball, as they surrender the eighth-most 3-point attempts (38.4) and the 10th-highest percentage (36.2%).
Knicks vs. Hawks Player Picks, Stats for PrizePicks: 4/23/26
Here are the top Knicks vs. Hawks picks to target on PrizePicks for Thursday, April 23. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks include PF Jalen Johnson and PG Jalen Brunson.
Hawks PF Jalen Johnson vs. Knicks Projection: 38 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- This is a huge tempo-down game for Johnson and the Hawks, who rank fifth in the NBA in pace, facing a Knicks team that's 25th.
- Johnson has played a bit worse at home, scoring 0.8 fewer PPG and bringing down 0.3 fewer rebounds on average.
- Johnson had more than this projection in just one of his three regular-season matchups against New York.
- The Knicks' defense is seventh in rating (112.3) and fifth in field goal percentage allowed (46.0%). It also allowed just 40.5 RPG (third) and 25.0 assists per game (sixth).
- Johnson had just 33 PRA in Game 1 and 28 PRA in Game 2. That includes 7 rebounds and 3 assists in Game 1, followed by 8 rebounds and 3 assists in Game 2. Both were well below his season averages of 10.3 RPG and 7.9 APG.
Add Jalen Johnson to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
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Knicks PG Jalen Brunson vs. Hawks Projection: 36.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Brunson has gone over this projection in two of his three matchups against Atlanta this season, including a 30-3-13 outing just 12 days ago.
- JB has had 40 and 38 PRA in the first two games of this series, surpassing his projection both times.
- The Hawks' primary defender on Jalen Brunson figures to be SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has the third-worst defensive rating (112.0) among qualified Hawks players.
- Atlanta is also below average in rebounds (45.2) and assists (26.6) allowed per game.
Add Jalen Brunson to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
NBA Playoffs Live Picks: Knicks vs. Hawks on PrizePicks for Game 2
Here are some in-game angles to target for your Knicks vs. Hawks live picks in tonight’s game.
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- McCollum is averaging 1.5 more points in wins while shooting 4.6% better from the field and 5.9% better from 3-point range.
- The Hawks, who start games fast on average, have a higher net rating in the first quarter than the Knicks. They've lost both first quarters thus far, but could that trend reverse in front of the home crowd?
- The Knicks respond with better net ratings in the following three quarters. New York led the entire NBA in net rating (+11.7) in the final frame during the regular season, 3.7 points ahead of the next-best team, the Detroit Pistons.
- Keep an eye on how both teams come out of the locker room at halftime. The Knicks rank in the bottom three in pace in every quarter except the third, where their slotting improves to 16th. Atlanta is in the top five in every quarter.
Make Knicks vs. Hawks Picks on PrizePicks
This NBA Playoffs first-round matchup now shifts to Atlanta. Can the Hawks take a 2-1 series lead in Game 3, or will the Knicks steal home-court advantage back?
Don’t wait until lock — make your Knicks vs. Hawks picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.
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