Knicks Try to Stave off Elimination

It’s do-or-die time for New York (42-34 SU, 46-29-1 ATS) as the Knicks return home down 3-1 to the Hawks (44-32, 42-33-1) in their first-round playoff series. New York has won 12 of its last 14 games at Madison Square Garden and opened as a 2.5-point favorite to extend the series.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Knicks were favored by a bucket or less in each of the first two games in New York, and that’s where this point spread sat again at the time of writing. Oddsmakers opened the total at an identical number to Game 4, which slipped OVER the total by half a point.

Atlanta News & Notes

After getting pushed around in the second half of New York’s comeback win in Game 2, the Hawks upped their physicality in the two games in Atlanta — and it appears to be frustrating the Knicks. John Collins had his lower lip cut open for four stitches by an elbow from Julius Randle, who later committed a flagrant foul on Danilo Gallinari, and Reggie Bullock received a technical for responding angrily to being bumped by Gallinari.

“We can push guys around too,” center Clint Capela told ESPN and other reporters Tuesday during a Zoom rant taunting the Knicks. “We can be physical, but we can win games as well.” Capela may have earned the right to puff out his chest a bit after averaging 13 rebounds per game in the series, including 15 in Game 4.

Offensively, the Hawks have shown impressive balance over the last two games, with seven players cracking double digits in scoring in Game 3 and another six doing so on Sunday. Trae Young has scored at least 21 points in each game of the series, while Collins is coming off his highest-scoring effort of the playoffs, a 22-point performance in Game 4.

New York News & Notes

The Knicks offense has sputtered throughout the series and Randle’s decreased production is a major reason why. After averaging 24.1 points per game in the regular season en route to being named the NBA’s most improved player, Randle is averaging just 16.8 points through four games in the playoffs. The power forward did score 23 points in Game 4, but he was just 6-for-18 from the field and committed five turnovers.

His New York teammates aren’t having any better success trying to solve the Atlanta defense, especially Bullock. One of the team’s top outside shooters, Bullock went scoreless in 34 minutes on Sunday and missed all three of his three-point attempts. Following Game 4, coach Tom Thibodeau acknowledged to reporters that Bullock’s struggles may be partly due to all the energy he’s expending while guarding Young on the defensive end.

Maybe a return to Madison Square Garden can help the Knicks get back into the series. New York is 12-2 SU and 10-4 ATS in its last 14 at MSG, including a 101-92 victory in Game 2. Meanwhile, the Hawks have covered just one of their last seven games on the road and are 1-4 ATS in their last five visits to the Big Apple.

Betting Pick: Hawks +1.5

It’s been a magical season in New York, but the Knicks seem to have run out of answers against a more talented Hawks squad.