A 3–2 series is maybe the trickiest one to gauge in sports. One team clearly has the advantage of needing to win just one of the remaining two games, and if said team was the winner of Game Five, as the Knicks were, then their confidence is likely high. But New York will be heading into an Atlanta arena that should be more hostile than Games Three and Four, which saw their fair share of Knicks fans. Not to mention the Hawks are also playing with their season on the line, making it the hardest game of the series to win.
Despite having a one-game lead in the series, it oddly feels close to a must-win, seeing as a loss tonight means a Game Seven, where anything can happen.
That being said, the momentum and stats do side with the Knicks. Outside of the fourth quarter in a blowout Knicks win, and the second and third quarters of an even bigger blowout in Game Five, the Knicks have comfortably won each quarter. Not only have they won back-to-back games by 15+ points, they’ve outscored the Hawks by seven or more points in five of the last eight quarters. While starting guard Josh Hart is currently listed as questionable for tonight’s game, the Knicks have seemingly figured out how to slow down the Hawks’ offense while also solving the issues their defense caused.
It took close to 200 minutes of basketball longer than fans might have liked, but Mike Brown, Jalen Brunson, and the rest of the team have learned from their Game Two and Game Three transgressions and have arrived at a game plan that has been simple: take what the defense gives them and attack.
It’s hard to fathom what overtook them and their minds in their losses earlier, but it’s as if they were reminded that they are the more talented and more experienced team, and regardless of what the Hawks do, it’s on them to not shoot themselves in the foot. Atlanta is a capable team that deserves its flowers, but New York has a myriad of weapons it can use to dismantle its opponent.
Want to hone in on limiting Brunson? Play through Karl-Anthony Towns. Pivot and put Dyson Daniels on Towns? Let Brunson go to work. Face-guard both and pray? Look for OG Anunoby on the perimeter and let him knock down threes or attack closeouts. The Knicks currently have all the answers to what Quin Snyder and the Hawks have thrown at them.
But with how unpredictable the first round of this year’s playoffs has been, it would behoove the Knicks to continue putting their first-quarter struggles behind them and come out ready to match, if not exceed, the Hawks’ energy and fight. Regardless of Hart’s status, they must be prepared to withstand not just one or two, but multiple punches (theoretical, of course) from Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, McCollum, and anybody else capable of providing them with a memorable playoff spark. Doing so would not only advance them to the second round, but also serve as a statement game from a team that has repeatedly been labeled inconsistent and not good enough.
If Hart goes, expect an at-times ugly but gutsy performance from the wing. Other than that, I expect business as usual from Towns and Anunoby, who have continued to stand out as the two best players in the series. And while Brunson has had his share of ups and downs this series, the captain often saves his best for last. I’m predicting, and also hoping, he comes out just as patient, composed, and confident as he looked in Game Five to deliver another memorable performance. Manifesting a double-digit win for a Knicks team that will struggle to put away the Hawks early, but come alive in the second quarter.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (3-2) at Atlanta Hawks (2-3)
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Place: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
TV: ESPN
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
