Hawks vs. Knicks Game 2: Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Today's Matchup

After losing Game 1 due to the Knicks pulling away late, the Hawks have a chance to get a critical road win today and tie the series up.

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

It was always going to be a tough ask to win both games in New York, but getting one of them would be a nice bonus for Atlanta's chances of hanging on in this series. The Hawks got to feel out their opponent in Game 1 and they now need to make adjustments in order to prevent their second-half offense from fading down the stretch.

Even though the Hawks are at a talent disadvantage, the final score doesn't reflect how well Atlanta played in the first half. They went shot-for-shot with New York as Onyeka Okongwu hit a crazy buzzer beater to make it a 57-55 game at half. However, the Knicks never relinquished that lead in the second half as Karl-Anthony Towns made a massive impact down the stretch.

Today's game might be tougher due to Onyeka Okongwu being questionable with right knee inflammation. If Okongwu misses today's game, the Hawks will be forced to start Mo Gueye in a postseason game and that's definitely not an ideal scenario. However, Atlanta's real path to winning this game lies in improving in their half-court offense. If they can't do that, it's going to be tough sledding for them.

By the Numbers

Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots the ball as New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) defends during the second half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It's a very small sample size, but it's interesting to see how the Hawks' offense has performed so far compared to the rest of the postseason bracket. Out of the 16 postseason teams, they are 11th in points, 10th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 16th in FT%, 10th in rebounds (7th in OREB, 9th in DREB), 8th in assists, and 5th in turnovers per game. They're 12th in offensive rating so far.

The defense has also been a problem for the Hawks, but they did tighten some things up in the second half and especially on Jalen Brunson. They are 11th in points allowed, 10th in FG% allowed, 13th in 3P% allowed, 11th in rebounds allowed, 13th in steals, and 8th in blocks. They're 11th in defensive rating thus far.

New York's offense was carried by Brunson in the first half and Towns in the second half, combining for a solid performance in Game 1. They are 5th in points, 7th in FG%, 4th in 3P%, 4th in FT%, 3rd in rebounds (12th in OREB, 1st in DREB), 12th in assists, and 3rd in turnovers per game. They're 6th in offensive rating in the playoffs.

The Knicks' defense hasn't been super impressive, but they did a good job on Nickeil Alexander-Walker and limited Atlanta's options for offense outside of CJ McCollum. They are 11th in points allowed, 10th in FG% allowed, 13th in 3P% allowed, 11th in rebounds allowed, 7th in steals, and 8th in blocks. They're 5th in defensive rating thus far.

Three Reasons The Hawks Can Take Game 2

Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) dunks the ball during the second half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In a season marked by so much growth from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, it's hard to say that he can't be an effective scoring option in the playoffs until we've seen a bigger sample of games. With that being said, he was not very good for Atlanta in Game 1. Scoring 17 points on 17 shots while only corralling one rebound is below his usual standard and he wasn't able to really affect the game with his defense. Mikal Bridges did a really good job of slowing him down, but NAW needs to be better at getting to his spots if the Hawks are going to take Game 2.

Even though it wasn't a great shot-making game for Dyson Daniels, he was still plenty effective in every other facet of the game. He dished out a team-high 11 assists to only two turnovers, got three steals and grabbed nine rebounds. The shot is going to be a problem in the postseason as it allows the Knicks to essentially keep a center on him and muck up Atlanta's spacing since they aren't concerned with him as a shooting threat. However, the Hawks have to hope that New York gets too complacent with letting him shoot and Daniels is able to make them pay for it. His defense on Jalen Brunson was largely good in Game 1 as well - Brunson had to target other defenders in order to get his points.

Atlanta has been one of the best teams on the fast-break all season and the Knicks actually out-executed them in those scenarios, scoring 22 points to the Hawks' 13. In the postseason, those opportunities are critical because the defense isn't set and the offense can derive an advantage. The Hawks should be better at capitalizing on those opportunities in Game 2 - that will reduce the disparity between an excellent New York half-court offense and a much more questionable Hawks unit.

Three Reasons The Hawks Might Lose Game 2

Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after making a three point basket during the second half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Karl-Anthony Towns is incredibly hard to gauge in a postseason setting because he has stretches where he's one of the worst players on the floor and then at other points, he can be the driving factor for his team's success. The Knicks saw both versions in Game 1 - he was pretty bad in the first half and then carried New York's offense down the stretch to give them the win. Atlanta has to be a lot more disciplined and reduce the frequency with which they foul him - he shot 10 free throws in Game 1 and made all of them after averaging 5.5 free throw attempts in the regular season. They won't necessarily have an answer for Towns, but they can't make it easy for him.

Because the Hawks have a significant disparity in both size and skill at center, it's fair to ask more from the rest of the lineup in terms of rebounding. In particular, this has to be a game where Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher and Mo Gueye fight hard on the boards. He's a great rebounder, but Josh Hart can't be leading the Knicks in rebounds for Game 2 if the Hawks are serious about winning this series.

The Hawks were able to get Mitchell Robinson out of the game due to intentionally fouling him and limit his impact, but he's going to continue to be a problem as the series goes on. If the Hawks' halfcourt offense continues to suffer and they need to play with some pace in order to score, they can't intentionally foul him and slow the game down. It's possible that he's able to check in for a longer stint in Game 2, which doesn't bode well for Atlanta's chances of attacking the rim.

Injuries

Atlanta Hawks: Jock Landale has been ruled out and Onyeka Okongwu is questionable.

New York Knicks: None.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to Watch: Peacock

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - CJ McCollum

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F - Dyson Daniels

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Knicks

G - Jalen Brunson

G - Josh Hart

F - Mikal Bridges

F - OG Anunoby

C - Karl-Anthony Towns