Pick ’Em Knicks‑Hawks
- The Knicks‑Hawks Game 3 was listed as a pick ’em, and The Athletic notes seven of eight first-round series favor higher seeds. - The Rockets‑Lakers matchup is the lone series where the lower seed is favored because of L.A.’s injuries. - Those odds make tonight’s games particularly unpredictable and increase attention on injury reports and matchup edges (nytimes.com).
The Knicks‑Hawks Game 3 was listed as a pick ’em, even as The Athletic’s roundup found seven of eight first‑round series opening with the higher seed favored. (nytimes.com) The Athletic (via The New York Times) identified Rockets‑Lakers as the lone first‑round exception, where the lower seed is favored in early series markets. (nytimes.com) Bookmakers showed a narrower margin on Game 3: FanDuel listed the Knicks as 1.5‑point favorites with a 216.5 total for Thursday’s matchup, contrasting with The Athletic’s “pick ’em” label. (fanduel.com) (nytimes.com) The series is tied 1‑1 heading into Game 3 on Apr. 23, 2026, a 7:00 p.m. ET tip at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. (nba.com) Houston opened as a heavy series favorite over Los Angeles in early markets — DraftKings’ opening lines showed the Rockets as sizable chalk in the Rockets‑Lakers matchup. (dknetwork.draftkings.com) The market tilt followed injury reports: the Lakers announced guard Austin Reaves would miss the remainder of the regular season with a Grade‑2 oblique strain, and outlets reported a left hamstring strain sidelining Luka Dončić indefinitely. (espn.com) (nbclosangeles.com) Analysts and betting preview sites framed the Rockets‑Lakers market as driven by those absences, while the Knicks‑Hawks line reflects a split between market books and power rankings ahead of tonight’s pivotal Game 3. (oddsshark.com) (fanduel.com) Expect lines and series prices to move quickly after Game 3 and any new injury updates; sportsbooks and bettors will treat tonight’s results and health reports as the next decisive inputs. (nba.com)
