Knicks–Hawks Game 2
- The Hawks travel to New York for Game 2 tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET, broadcast on TNT/truTV/Max. (nbcsports.com) - Historically, Atlanta is just 3-38 when trailing 1-0 in a series, while the Knicks are 36-8 after winning Game 1. (nbcsports.com) - Broad coverage across ABC, NBC, ESPN and streaming partners frames tonight as a key early leverage point for the series. (sportingnews.com)
New York can put Atlanta in a steep early hole Monday night when the Knicks host the Hawks in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com) Game 2 is set for Monday, April 20, with tipoff listed at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBA.com and Peacock and NBC as the broadcast outlets. NBC Sports’ viewing guide lists a 7:30 p.m. Eastern pregame window and says the game will also stream on Peacock. (nba.com) (nbcsports.com) The Knicks took Game 1, 113-102, on April 18 behind 28 points and seven assists from Jalen Brunson and 25 points from Karl-Anthony Towns. Atlanta got 26 points from CJ McCollum in the loss. (espn.com) (nba.com) New York closed that opener on a 13-4 run after Atlanta trimmed the deficit late, and Towns scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half. The result gave the No. 3 seed Knicks a 1-0 lead over the No. 6 seed Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round. (espn.com) (foxsports.com) That makes Monday a leverage game in the basic playoff math of a best-of-seven series: a 2-0 lead sends the favorite on the road needing two more wins, while a 1-1 split flips pressure onto the higher seed. The series schedule then shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Thursday, April 23, and Game 4 on Saturday, April 25. (nba.com) The historical numbers run hard in New York’s favor. NBC Sports says Atlanta is 3-38 all-time when it falls behind 1-0 in a series, while the Knicks are 36-8 after winning a series opener. (nbcsports.com) The matchup is also landing in a wider television rollout than a typical first-round game. Sporting News’ national schedule shows NBA playoff games spread across ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and streaming partners, with Knicks-Hawks part of Monday’s national slate. (sportingnews.com) For Atlanta, the immediate question is whether it can generate enough offense to avoid another late-game squeeze after shooting 44% from the field, 38% from 3-point range and 63% at the foul line in Game 1. For New York, the formula looked simpler: get another Brunson control game, another Towns scoring burst, and head south with a 2-0 lead. (sports.yahoo.com) (espn.com)
