Hawks vs Knicks Game 6: Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Today's Matchup

With their backs against the wall, the Hawks' season hangs in the balance tonight as they attempt to win Game 6 and send the series back to New York.

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) drives to the basket around New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) as Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) sets a pick 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

The Atlanta Hawks are promised one more game in the 2025-26 season. Now's the time to make a statement.

To be clear, this Hawks team deserves props for taking two games off a Knicks team that has played like the best team in the Eastern Conference as of late. Atlanta has gotten blown out in their last two games against New York, and Karl-Anthony Towns is starting to present a mismatch that the Hawks just can't solve. It certainly seems like the Knicks are the better team and everything is pointing towards New York winning Game 6 and punching their ticket to the second round.

However, this is hardly the first time the Hawks have defied long odds. They weren't expected to be a top-six seed after their dismal start to the season. Many people didn't have Atlanta taking two games off of New York and holding a 2-1 lead. It won't be easy, but the Hawks are certainly capable of making a statement and sending this series back to New York for a winner-take-all Game 7.

By the Numbers

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) controls the ball against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) 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

Games 4 and 5 are a stunning reflection of how much Atlanta's offense has slipped as this series has gone on. They are 11th in points, 8th in FG%, 12th in 3P%, 15th in FT%, 16th in rebounds (14th in OREB, 14th in DREB), 10th in assists, and 6th in turnovers per game. They're 13th in offensive rating so far.

After some reasonably solid games on defense for a Hawks team that hasn't shown a strong defensive floor, they let the Knicks shoot above 42% for the second straight playoff game. They are 15th in points allowed, 13th in FG% allowed, 14th in 3P% allowed, 12th in rebounds allowed, 9th in steals, and 7th in blocks. They're 14th in defensive rating thus far.

The Knicks' offense has been excellent ever since they've figured out how to tap into the combination of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. They're 2nd in points, 5th in FG%, 2nd in 3P%, 6th in FT%, 4th in rebounds (9th in OREB, 2nd in DREB), 8th in assists, and 6th in turnovers per game. They're 3rd in offensive rating in the playoffs.

New York's strong offense has made their defense even more impressive, which has been incredibly stingy and bogged down Atlanta's half-court offense. They are 6th in points allowed, 9th in FG% allowed, 5th in 3P% allowed, 1st in rebounds allowed, 12th in steals, and 10th in blocks. They're 4th in defensive rating thus far.

Takeaways From Game 5

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) takes a shot against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) 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

Jalen Brunson hasn't had the best series, but his performance in Game 5 was nothing short of spectacular. Brunson had 39 points on just 23 shots, sank three of his five attempts from deep and also dished out eight assists to only one turnover. Perhaps crucially for New York, he helped them close Atlanta out in the clutch, where he had 17 points in the fourth quarter alone. The adjustment to put Dyson Daniels on KAT certainly resulted in a quieter game for the center, but it left Atlanta's defense vulnerable to getting gashed by Brunson.

Atlanta's rebounding issues were less of a problem when they were making their shots, but they decisively lost the rebounding battle in Game 5 by a dominant margin of 48-27. New York's been able to get rebounding from OG Anunoby, generating extra possessions and keeping Atlanta from running its sets in the halfcourt. That's likely going to continue in Game 6 unless the Hawks can get out in transition and force more turnovers.

The bench pieces made a difference for the Knicks in Game 5 - Jeremy Sochan had 10 points while Jose Alvarado chipped in 12 points in 12 minutes. Even though these numbers aren't very impressive, the Knicks' bench hasn't played a big role in this series. Atlanta is going to need for that to remain true in Game 6 as they've been struggling against New York's regular starters already.

What To Expect in Game 6

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) 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

Since this is an elimination game, head coach Quin Snyder will need to be at his best if the Hawks are to advance. Given that Dyson Daniels is at his best when guarding Brunson, and Towns has been a problem to guard all series, it'd be interesting to see if Snyder would explore assigning Jalen Johnson to Towns as the primary defender. It hasn't been a great series on either end of the court for Johnson, but he can serve as a foil for Towns' size and physicality while keeping him off the boards. OG Anunoby and Onyeka Okongwu roughly canceled each other out in Game 5, so they should be able to stay afloat. Nickeil Alexander-Walker really struggled with the Brunson matchup, and it'd be malpractice to try that matchup again.

Speaking of Snyder, the decision to play Corey Kispert and Tony Bradley a combined 27 minutes in Game 5 is baffling. Kispert cannot play in this series, and Bradley had one of the worst playoff stints that a backup big man has had in quite some time. It'd be better if the Hawks just leaned into Mo Gueye as the backup center and increased Buddy Hield's minutes. Hield has swung playoff games before in his career, namely a Game 7 for the Warriors against the Houston Rockets in the first round. These are the types of games where the Hawks need to play with shooting variance and threaten their opponent from deep if they want to stay in the game.

Although it didn't really make much of a difference in this one, the Hawks have to be more focused on the little details. They missed seven free throws, got beat up on the defensive glass by a 40-22 margin and only scored 42 points in the paint to New York's 60. If they aren't capable of being the more physical team that plays together and takes advantage of the easy scoring opportunities, their season will end tonight.

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 Josh Hart is questionable for the Knicks.