Final Score Picks and Predictions For Hawks vs Knicks Game Two Matchup

Get ready for a pressure packed game two tonight at Madison Square Garden.

The Hawks stubbed their toe in game one against New York to fall behind 1-0 in the series, but one game does not make a series and it was not like the Knicks overwhelmed the Hawks from start to finish. There are very correctable things for Atlanta to implement tonight and hope that they get bounce back games from their biggest stars.

But that does not mean there is not a little pressure tonight and it is not just on Atlanta.

From the Hawks' perspective, they don't want to fall behind 2-0 in a series against one of the most talented teams in the NBA. The goal for any lower-seeded team in the playoffs is to get one of the first two games and get home-court advantage. Despite the poor performance in game one, if the Hawks win tonight, they get home court advantage from New York and the pressure will shift.

While they won the first game, there is a certain amount of pressure on New York to win tonight and protect home court. The Knicks are already being penciled into the second round to face the Celtics, but if they lose tonight and the series is tied 1-1, they will begin to feel the pressure as the series shifts to Atlanta.

So who wins and where does the pressure shift?

Matchup

CJ McCollum Atlanta Hawk — Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) dribbles as New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) defends during the second half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There are several things that the Hawks have to correct ahead of tonight's game, but the thing hanging over all of this is the fact that starting center Onyeka Okongwu is questionable with right knee inflammation. If Okongwu can't go, the Hawks will be a in a very tough position and will have to rely on Mo Gueye and Tony Bradley in game two as they take on Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.

If Okongwu can go, there are still things the Hawks have to fix. They have played two very poor offenisve games in their last two games against the Knicks and particularly, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are going to have to be better. Johnson was not as assertive as he should have been in game one and the Hawks need to have a bounce back game from their star player. Alexander-Walker had a poor shooting game and needs to perform better.

Can the Hawks get anything from their bench? The Hawks did play nine players on Saturday, but only two minutes or so for Zaccharie Risacher. Jonathan Kuminga, Gabe Vincent and Gueye are locks to play, but will Sndyer throw a curveball tonight in this game? More minutes for Risacher or could Corey Kispert get minutes? If he really wanted to throw something unexpected, does Buddy Hield get dusted off tonight? I highly doubt it, but if the Hawks have another poor showing on offense, it is not entirely crazy.

After an explosive first quarter, Atlanta was able to corral Jalen Brunson, but they struggled to guard Karl-Anthony Towns. Will Snyder be able to throw different matchups and coverages at him?

I still believe this is going to be a close series that will go the distance and one game is not deterring me from that. Bounce back games from Johnson and Alexander-Walker, better defense (Knicks shot the three ball well last game), and a solid game from the bench get a win for Atlanta and they head home with the series tied up.

Final Score: Hawks 115, Knicks 109

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