Hawks vs Knicks Game 5: Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Today's Critical Matchup

After splitting their two home games, the Hawks go back on the road to try and steal Game 5 against a Knicks team that may have figured out how to beat them.

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) handles the ball guarded by New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are facing an uphill battle tonight. After going 1-1 in their games at home, they'll now have to contend with a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden against a Knicks team that finally seems to have figured out a way to dominate Atlanta.

The 2-1 lead the Hawks held after Game 3 was largely spurred by excellent play from CJ McCollum and a spirited effort from the Hawks to play timely defense and punish Knicks head coach Mike Brown's tactical errors. Atlanta was better coached through the first two games of the series, namely the tactical adjustment from Hawks head coach Quin Snyder to put Jonathan Kuminga on KAT and constantly hunt Jalen Brunson on defense.

However, New York finally started playing through its talented frontcourt duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby. The pair combined for 42 points - OG had 22 points and 10 rebounds while Towns had his first triple-double of the playoffs with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Brunson was able to chip in 19 points with three three-pointers and wrapped up a blowout win for the Knicks.

For Atlanta, Jalen Johnson continued to struggle by posting 14 points on 4-12 shooting from the field while CJ McCollum led the team with 17 points on 15 shots. Dyson Daniels stuffed the stat sheet with nine rebounds, two steals, and six assists, but only scored six points on a night where the Hawks really needed some more offensive firepower.

Atlanta's issues were on full display in Game 4 and they'll need to play their best basketball of the season if they want to avoid playing a Game 6 for their playoff lives.

By the Numbers

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) passes the ball past New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Game 4 showed that the Hawks' offense doesn't really have great counters when McCollum's impact is muted. They are 9th in points, 9th in FG%, 10th in 3P%, 13th in FT%, 14th in rebounds (14th in OREB, 10th in DREB), 9th in assists, and 10th in turnovers per game. They're 11th in offensive rating so far.

After two reasonably solid games on defense for a Hawks team that hasn't always been an excellent defensive team, they showed cracks in Game 4 and let the Knicks shoot 45.2% from deep. They are 12th in points allowed, 10th in FG% allowed, 13th in 3P% allowed, 11th in rebounds allowed, 8th in steals, and 6th in blocks. They're 13th in defensive rating thus far.

New York's offense finally found a way to get Towns involved, and the results were excellent. They are 5th in points, 7th in FG%, 4th in 3P%, 6th in FT%, 6th in rebounds (8th in OREB, 5th in DREB), 9th in assists, and 8th in turnovers per game. They're 4th in offensive rating in the playoffs.

The Knicks' defense has been consistently great despite the liabilities Brunson, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns pose on that end of the floor. New York held the Hawks under 110 points for the fourth straight game in this series. They are 7th in points allowed, 10th in FG% allowed, 11th in 3P% allowed, 5th in rebounds allowed, 9th in steals, and 12th in blocks. They're 7th in defensive rating thus far.

Takeaways From Game 4

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) tries to reach the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Karl-Anthony Towns has been having a really great series for the Knicks and he came alive in Game 4. The vast majority of his 20 points came from battling in the paint or cleaning up missed shots, but he still sunk a beautiful three-pointer to punctuates a big New York lead. The Knicks are going to make him a central part of the offense in Game 5 and it's up to Atlanta to exploit the weak points in his game.

New York's bench hasn't had a big impact on this series, but Deuce McBride is starting to come alive. After 15 points in Game 3 off the bench, McBride turned in an 11-point performance where he sunk three threes whenever it felt like the Knicks needed a big shot. He has the second-highest net rating on the team right now (+20.6) and he's played over 3x as many minutes as the leader in net rating for the Knicks (Jose Alvarado). He's the key reserve that the Hawks need to key in on during those moments where the usual starters hit the bench.

Even though the Knicks won the game by 16 points, many of the underlying numbers show that this game was relatively close. The Knicks only dominated Atlanta in two areas - 3P% and turnovers. The Knicks shot 45.2% from deep on 31 attempts while the Hawks shot 24.4% from deep on 41 attempts, which is usually a death sentence in the playoffs. However, it doesn't help that the Hawks also had 18 turnovers and didn't push the pace in transition.

What To Expect in Game 5

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) and New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) fight for control of the ball during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

New York is going to attempt to win this game in the paint and slow the game down. They were able to make every possession count with 1.19 points per possession, while the Hawks finished with 0.97 points per possession. That was evident by Towns getting good post position several times and having the time to direct OG Anunoby on offense. Atlanta cannot afford to let Towns get set and make stationary passes. Doubling him and forcing him to make quick reads is going to be essential if the Hawks want to win tonight.

CJ McCollum came back to Earth in Game 4 after his torrid start, and it's fair to wonder how that will affect the Hawks' half-court offense. The duo of Daniels and CJ had the eighth-highest net rating across all two-man groupings in the regular season - they will need to be at their best if they want to pull off the upset in Game 5. They combined for six turnovers of Atlanta's 18, and that can't happen again, considering that the other backcourt ball-handler on the roster, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, had six turnovers of his own. Expect head coach Quin Snyder to place an emphasis on reducing turnovers tonight and for Atlanta to play with better caution when it comes to free point-scoring opportunities.

The Hawks are probably going to get some better three-point luck tonight, as they took 41 threes and only made 10 in Game 4. That cannot continue against a team with as much firepower as the Knicks. The ball stagnated against New York and they weren't pushing the pace in transition, leading to fewer open shots. The energy has to be better in Game 5, and that starts with Jalen Johnson. Johnson has been vocal about admitting a lack of energy in Game 4, but now is the time for him to set the tone. Atlanta desperately needs his size to go up against Towns and OG. If they try some small-ball center lineups with him at the 5 and lean into their abundance of ball-handlers, he has to be prepared for the physicality of those matchups.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G- CJ McCollum

F- Dyson Daniels

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Onyeka Okongwu

Knicks:

G- Jalen Brunson

G- Josh Hart

F- OG Anunoby

F- Mikal Bridges

C- Karl-Anthony Towns

Injury Report

Jock Landale is out for the Hawks while the Knicks injury report is clean.