Hawks now favored
- Oddsmakers now list the Atlanta Hawks as favorites to advance past the New York Knicks in Round 1. - The Athletic's updated odds show Atlanta ahead in that series' probability models. - Betting and perception shifted after recent results changed market pricing for the matchup. (nytimes.com)
Atlanta has flipped this series fast enough that sportsbooks and playoff models now have the Hawks ahead of New York after three games. (espn.com) (nytimes.com) The Hawks beat the Knicks 109-108 on Thursday, April 23, on CJ McCollum’s jumper with 12.5 seconds left, and Atlanta now leads the first-round series 2-1. (espn.com) Atlanta also stole Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, 107-106, after trailing by 12 points in the fourth quarter, which turned a 1-0 Knicks lead into a split before the series moved south. (nba.com) That sequence is what moved the market. The Athletic’s updated first-round odds published April 23 showed the Hawks as the team more likely to advance, a reversal from the pre-series expectation around the No. 3-seeded Knicks and No. 6-seeded Hawks. (nytimes.com) (nba.com) The standings made New York look like the safer pick a week ago. The Knicks finished 53-29, seven games better than Atlanta’s 46-36, and opened the series at home because they had the East’s better regular-season record. (espn.com) The games have pointed another way. McCollum scored 32 in Game 2, then closed Game 3 late again, while Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 24 points Thursday and Jonathan Kuminga added 21 off the bench. (nba.com) (espn.com) New York has still had chances to keep control of the matchup. The Knicks won Game 1 by 11 points, got 29 from OG Anunoby and 26 from Jalen Brunson in Game 3, and still lost when they failed to get off a shot on their final possession. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Game 4 is Saturday, April 25, in Atlanta, and the series is now in the spot where one more Hawks win would push the Knicks to the edge. (espn.com)
