Knicks vs. Hawks Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 6

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks made a statement in a crucial Game 5 on Tuesday night, beating the Atlanta Hawks by 29 points to take a 3-2 series lead.

Brunson led the way with 39 points, breaking out of a mini slump that he had shooting the ball after dominating the first quarter of Game 1. It was a welcome sign for the Knicks, who had the third-best net rating of any playoff team after their Game 5 win (+11.0).

Atlanta has won two games in this series – both by one point – so it’s not totally out of this matchup with Game 6 at home. The Hawks are 2.5-point underdogs in this matchup, but they won Games 2 and 3 outright as underdogs.

New York struggled on the road in the regular season, going 22-19, so the door is open for the Hawks to force a winner-take-all Game 7. However, CJ McCollum (six points in Game 5) is going to have to play at a higher level for an Atlanta team that is desperate for offense after back-to-back games where it failed to clear 100 points.

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for Game 6 on Thursday, where the Knicks could clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Knicks vs. Hawks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Knicks -2.5 (-110)
Hawks +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Knicks: -130
Hawks: +110

Total

213.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Knicks vs. Hawks How to Watch

Date: Thursday, April 30
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: State Farm Arena
How to Watch (TV): ESPN
Series: New York leads 3-2

Knicks vs. Hawks Injury Reports

Knicks Injury Report

Josh Hart -- questionable

Hawks Injury Report

Jock Landale -- out

Knicks vs. Hawks Best NBA Prop Bets

Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

Karl-Anthony Towns 35+ Points, Rebounds and Assists (-149)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Towns should have yet another big game in this series:

New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been awesome in the playoffs, averaging 20.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 59.3 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc.

New York has run more of the offense through Towns in the last few games, including Game 5 when Jalen Brunson poured in 39 points. Towns still finished with 16 points and six dimes in that matchup, giving him 16 assists over the last two games.

The former No. 1 overall pick has put up 37, 28, 42, 40 and 36 PRA in his five games in this series. The Hawks simply don’t have a player that can match up on Towns one-on-one, and he’s found his 3-point shot after shooting under 37 percent from deep in the regular season.

I’m buying KAT to lead the way with the Knicks looking to close out this series on Thursday.

Knicks vs. Hawks Prediction and Pick

The Hawks have the third-worst net rating in the playoffs (-11.0), but they do have two outright wins as underdogs in this series.

While I’m not sold on Atlanta winning Game 6 against the Knicks, I do think it will be able to hang around after a dismal offensive showing in Game 5. Atlanta had a huge lead in Game 3 before surviving a Knicks comeback, and the Hawks’ offense had a lot of success in the first three games of this series.

Quin Snyder’s group should pull out all of the stops in Game 6, and it’s worth noting that the Knicks were one of the worst teams in the league against the spread when favored on the road during the regular season.

Overall (playoffs included), New York is 16-27 against the spread as a road team. Only the Washington Wizards covered the spread at a lower rate this season, so I wouldn't be shocked if Atlanta hangs around on Thursday.

My original series pick was Knicks in 7. I won’t totally stray from that now, as I think the Hawks can cover in what may be yet another down to the wire matchup in Game 6.

Pick: Hawks +2.5 (-110 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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