Hawks vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 5

It’s officially a “Best of 3” series between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks heading into Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

The Knicks rebounded from one-point losses in Game 2 and Game 3 to beat the Hawks on Saturday night, evening the series in the process. New York is favored to win Game 5 and the series, but these teams have played some hard-fought matchups.

Karl-Anthony Towns (triple-double in Game 4) has been huge for the Knicks on offense while CJ McCollum has led an Atlanta team that has been forging since the All-Star break. It closed the regular season with 20 wins in its final 26 games, and now the Hawks are looking to pull off a first-round upset.

Winning Game 5 is step one for both teams, as the Game 5 winner – when a seven-game series in the NBA Playoffs is tied 2-2 – has gone on to win the series over 80 percent of the time.

That favors the Knicks at home, where they were 30-10 during the regular season.

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for Game 5 on April 28.

Hawks vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Hawks +6.5 (-110)
Knicks -6.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Hawks: +215
Knicks: -265

Total

213.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Hawks vs. Knicks How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, April 28
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Madison Square Garden
How to Watch (TV): NBC/Peacock
Series: Tied 2-2

Hawks vs. Knicks Injury Reports

Hawks Injury Report

Jock Landale -- out

Knicks Injury Report

None to report

Hawks vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets

Hawks Best NBA Prop Bet

CJ McCollum OVER 19.5 Points (-120)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why CJ McCollum is worth a look with this series returning to New York:

CJ McCollum has inserted himself as this year’s villain at Madison Square Garden, averaging 24.5 points per game over the first four games against New York. He’s put up 23 or more points in three of the four games in this series, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.

McCollum hit clutch shots at the end of Games 2 and 3, and he’s taking a whopping 19.0 shots per game for the Hawks.

So, the volume is there for the star guard heading into Game 5.

It’s going to be a hostile environment at Madison Square Garden, but McCollum thrived in that environment in Game 2. He did fall short of this line in his last game, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3. He still finished with 17 points, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see McCollum reach 20-plus points for the fourth time in this series.

The star guard averages 20.3 points per game in the playoffs (71 games) in his career.

Hawks vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

The Knicks and Hawks have played a low-scoring series so far, finishing with 217 or fewer combined points in all four matchups.

On top of that, they’ve gone under 213.5 points in two games, including New York’s win in Game 4.

The UNDER is now 48-39 in the Knicks’ games this season, and these teams are playing at the third-slowest pace of any series in the playoffs. So, I’d expect more action in the half court in Game 5, even though Atlanta was a top-10 team in pace during the regular season. These teams went under this total in two of three regular-season meetings.

Plus, the Hawks dropped to 11th in the playoffs in offensive rating after their Game 4 loss.

Pick: UNDER 213.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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