Dyson Daniels Doesn't Mince Words Following Blowout Loss to Knicks: "We got smashed tonight…They manhandled us."

The Hawks lost another game in blowout fashion to the New York Knicks and now their season is on the brink of ending

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) takes a shot against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) and guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

If you watched or followed the Atlanta Hawks get dominated in game four of their series against the New York Knicks, the message following that loss was that the Knicks came out with more intensity and physicality in that game and responded in a way the Hawks were not ready for.

The message after yet another blowout loss to New York is not all that different. The Hawks trailed by 13 after the first quarter, and that was a wrap. They never got the deficit to single digits, and the Knicks now just need one more win to send the Hawks home for the offseason.

Same Message

After the game, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels was pretty blunt with his assessment of the game:

"We came in here and we got smashed tonight, but we still have a chance. They came in, and they manhandled us. Their mindset was to come out and try to bully us and try to be physical and they did that. They pushed us under on rebounds and they set really good screens."

Hawks forward Jalen Johnson felt that the team responded better to the physicality, but that a lot of the mistakes were self inflicted:

"I feel like we did a better job. I feel like it was more self-inflicted. Just more stuff we could have done better offensively. They just capitalized our mistakes in offense."

Johnson also talked about what the Hawks need to do to get back to Madison Square Garden for game seven:

" I believe in this group of guys. I believe in the mindset that this group of guys have. Just knowing that we got on the court. Just knowing we're going to be better. I just know we will. And I'm confident in the team that it's do or die now. So we're going to have to lay it all on the line. So I'm excited to have that chance and come back to New York."

What needs to change?

When you reach this point in an NBA season, there are not a lot of major adjustments that can be made. A lot of the times it boils down to just simply playing better.

The Hawks offense has been dreadful and their three point shooting has been among the worst in the playoffs so far. For a team that led the NBA in assists and was one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA heading into the playoffs. Not only that, but the Hawks were one of the top transition teams in the NBA, but the Knicks have taken that part of their offense away, making the Hawks work to do more in the halfcourt, which is not necessarily their strength.

Things feel dire for Atlanta coming out of another blowout loss, but they have a chance to rally one more time at home and then force a game seven, where anything can happen. Can the Hawks get back to what was working games two and three or does their season end tomorrow?