NBA Knicks vs Hawks Game 5 Playoff Betting Picks and Player Props to Watch

We played three NBA games last night, including one in the closing stages.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made light work of the Suns (although Phoenix barely covered the spread in the game). The Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons had a great battle, and now Orlando leads the No. 1 seed 3-1 in the series.

The Denver Nuggets dominated and covered against the Minnesota Timberwolves as expected, and more importantly, I was able to cash in on both player props in that one. Tonight we have a crucial Game 5 between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks. Let’s find an angle for this one to make money via sports betting.

For most casual fans, the fact that the Hawks are making this a competitive series is probably a surprise. Most of them probably think Trae Young is on the team. This is no longer Young’s team; it’s now Jalen Johnson’s team. Honestly, this might be CJ McCollum’s team, but he’s a free agent at the end of the season. McCollum led the team in scoring in three of four games against the Knicks. Interestingly enough, Johnson, who led the team in points, rebounds and assists during the regular season, only led them to the playoffs once in each category.

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How did the Hawks find their success? They managed to prevent the Knicks from executing late in the game. The margin of victory in their two victories was only one point. The Knicks even had the ball with a chance to win in both of those games. At the first opportunity, they missed the shot. The second, the Hawks played great defense and kept them from scoring.

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The Knicks like to make things difficult for themselves. Last season they struggled against the Pistons, and this year the Hawks seem to be pushing them. New York has a very strong starting lineup and a deeper bench than last year. However, it seems like they don’t know what they’re doing late in the game. In all honesty, they were probably the better team in all four games.

New York Knicks guard Pacome Dadiet celebrates with center Karl-Anthony Towns late in the fourth quarter in their victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of the NBA first-round playoff series, April 27, 2025, in Detroit. (Duane Burleson/AP)

New York won the first game by 11 points and didn’t really struggle much in that one. Then, in game two, they let a lead slip away as McCollum hit shot after shot down the stretch. Losing this one at home is one they probably should have taken. In Game 3, the Knicks dominated the Hawks in two quarters and tied it in a third. Last game, the offense was much more balanced and saw the Knicks win by 16. Much of the offense went through Karl-Anthony Towns, which apparently wasn’t intentional, but might be now.

I don’t have a lot of confidence in the Knicks moving away from Jalen Brunson and letting Towns orchestrate the offense. He had a triple-double in Game 4, repeatedly passing to OG Anunoby. Anunoby actually led the team in scoring in both games in Atlanta. As I mentioned, Knicks head coach Mike Brown said it wasn’t really a game plan to let Towns move from the top post.

Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum shoots against the Orlando Magic during the first half of an NBA game on March 16, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Mike Stewart/AP)

In this game, the Hawks will probably change their defensive plan. However, Towns had four or more assists in three of the four games in this series.

I expect the Knicks to try to give him more opportunities, and even with the Hawks’ adjustments, if he can’t pass the ball as effectively, he should be able to score more. Give me his assist total over 3.5.

I’m also leaning towards the over for the match. I think defensive adjustments won’t be as effective and will open up more opportunities for other players. Above 214.5 is a strong sign here.

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