Knicks at Hawks
- Knicks and Hawks play Game 3 tonight after New York hosted the first two games, shifting the series to Atlanta. - Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. - This road game is a pivotal early test as Round 1 moves from opening statements to road-pressure matchups (sports.yahoo.com).
The Knicks and Hawks open the Atlanta leg of their first-round series Thursday night with Game 3 tied 1-1. (nba.com) Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Eastern at State Farm Arena, and the game is scheduled to stream on Prime Video. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) New York won Game 1, 113-102, on April 18 at Madison Square Garden. Atlanta answered on April 20 with a 107-106 comeback win after erasing a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The matchup now shifts from the No. 3 seed’s floor to the No. 6 seed’s floor, with at least two games scheduled in Atlanta before the series returns to New York for Game 5 on April 28. Game 4 is set for April 25, and Games 6 and 7 remain if necessary on April 30 and May 2. (nba.com) The early numbers show why Game 3 is a pivot point. Through two games, the Knicks are averaging 109.5 points and 46.0 rebounds in the series, while the Hawks are averaging 104.5 points and 38.0 rebounds. (nba.com) The headliners have been Jalen Brunson and C.J. McCollum. Brunson is averaging 28.5 points and 7.0 assists in the series, and McCollum is averaging 29.0 points after scoring 32 in Atlanta’s Game 2 win. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said after Game 2 that he liked “CJ’s leadership as much as the shot making,” pointing to McCollum’s control late in the comeback. Knicks coach Mike Brown said New York “got the ball in the right people’s hands down the stretch” but did not convert. (nba.com) The regular season suggests the road team can still win this matchup. The Knicks went 53-29 overall and 22-19 away, while the Hawks finished 46-36 overall and 24-17 at home. The teams split four regular-season meetings, with New York taking two of them. (espn.com) (nba.com) ESPN’s game page listed Atlanta as a slight 1.5-point favorite Thursday afternoon, with a 216.5 total and New York given a 55.2% matchup-projection edge by ESPN Analytics. (espn.com) By the end of Thursday night, one team will leave State Farm Arena holding the first series lead since New York walked off with Game 1. (nba.com)
