Three Hawks Who Cost Atlanta Most in Game One Loss To New York

Which players poor performances stood out in the Hawks game one loss to the Knicks on Saturday night?

Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) dribbles 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

After battling for a little more than two quarters, the Hawks could not keep up with the New York Knicks and lost in game one. It was a poor offensive game from Atlanta and they could not play with any consistency throughout this game.

While it can be tough to peg a loss on specific performances, here are three that stood out in a bad way tonight.

Jonathan Kuminga

The Hawks are reliant on Kuminga for bench production due to the lack of production they get from everyone else on that unit. Whether it was Gabe Vincent, Mo Gueye, or Zaccharie Risacher, the Hawks bench did not perform well tonight, but Kuminga being a non-factor is something that will doom Atlanta if it does not get fixed.

When the bench is reliant on you for the majority of the production and you produce eight points and four rebounds in 27 minutes, the game likely did not go in your favor. Kuminga was fine on defense, but he could not finish and score when he had mismatches early in the game.

Expectations are low for the Hawks second unit, but Kuminga simply has to be better.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Alexander-Walker has been tremendous for the Hawks this season, but one you are one of the ebst players on the team, more is expected of you and Atlanta did not get enough from one of their stars.

Alexander-Walker finished this game with 17 points, one rebound, and four assists while shooting 6-17 from the field. His defense was fine, but it was not outstanding and he did not make his presence felt.

I have no doubt that Alexander-Walker is going to bounce back going forward in this series and Atlanta is going to need him to.

Gabe Vincent

Vincent is not expected to have a large role with this team, but he is regularly one of the first subs in the game and is clearly the 7th guy for Atlanta in their rotation. Vincent played close to 15 minutes tonight, but only managed two points, two assists and one rebound.

Nobody is expecting Vincent to carry the Hawks to victory, but role players often play huge roles in the postseason and Vincent either needs to shoot the ball well or cause havoc on defense. He did not do any of these things tonight and going forward, the Hawks need him to do more and help elevate the second unit.