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We have three closing games tonight in the NBA, which is about as exciting as it gets in the playoffs. There have been some great games in the NBA so far, and none of the series are complete in the Eastern Conference. The first of these clashes tonight will be between the Knicks and the Hawks.
This has been an interesting series for the Knicks. I’ve talked about this in previous articles about this series, but New York has definitely been the best team in the series. The Knicks have won three games by double digits and both losses were by one point each. They’ve probably looked like the better team in all five games so far, and now they just need to be the better team once again. Aside from a few bad quarters, the Knicks managed to effectively manage the Hawks defense. They have also been able to score at will in the last two games.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts during the first half of an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta on April 6, 2026. (Colin Hubbard/AP)
On Tuesday, we managed to pull out a win before halftime as Karl-Anthony Towns had four assists before the end of the second quarter. This cashed our ticket and allowed us to spend a peaceful night. Game 5 was really about Jalen Brunson’s success. Towns was great – he had 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, but Brunson was efficient, scoring 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting for the night.
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The Hawks finally got back to what worked for them during the season with Jalen Johnson orchestrating the team. However, his offensive production only represents 18 points. That still accounted for almost 20% of their total points, and if you add in his six assists, that puts him at over 25% of the team’s total offense. This was the first time he led the team in all three categories, and that may actually be a problem for their offense. Johnson managed to lead the team in all three categories in the regular season, but perhaps they need to be more dynamic in the playoffs.
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart is stolen the ball by Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga in the fourth quarter during Game 3 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on April 23, 2026. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
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CJ McCollum had been great for the Hawks in their wins, but in Game 5 he was just 3 of 10 and scored just six points. With four turnovers, he almost matched his point total with turnovers. As a team, they also need to be more active on the glass. They pulled down 27 rebounds, but Towns and OG Anunoby combined for 24 themselves. The Hawks lost the battle by 21 rebounds, which is tough to overcome.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates his three-pointer against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter of Game 6 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 16, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
I go back to the well with Towns getting 4+ assists at -132. He was good at finding open teammates and had at least four assists in four of the five games in the series. I also think this series is over. I said before the series started that the Hawks weren’t going to win. I agree they did better than expected, but I think the Knicks close this game out. Give them to me -1.5.
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