Three Team Adjustments That Will Decide Game Three Between The Hawks and the Knicks

What can the Hawks do to make sure that they win game three against the Knicks tonight?

Apr 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) takes a shot against New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) at the end of the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Who is ready for a massive game three in the NBA Playoffs?

The Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks will battle it out tonight for the series lead and the Hawks are coming off a dramatic game two comeback victory on Monday night. Just when it looked like the Knicks were going to take a 2-0 lead, the Hawks stormed back to even the series and tonight is going to be one of the most consequential games in recent memory for Atlanta.

One of the key things to watch in an NBA playoff series is how teams adjust to each other. In the first few games of a series, adjusmtents are paramount and made often. What could be some adjustments that the Hawks have to make or anticipate from the Knicks ahead of game three?

1. Will the Hawks continue to guard Karl-Anthony Towns with a wing?

In the last regular season game between the two teams and in game one of the series, the Hawks used Onyeka Okongwu to guard Towns, but they made an adjustment in the last game. Dyson Daniels began the game guarding Towns and let Okongwu guard Josh Hart. Whenever Jonathan Kuminga entered the game, he guarded Towns and did a very good job at doing so .

Will Atlanta continue to employ this strategy tonight? It worked well for them and I don't see a reason to go away from it?

2. What happens if the Knicks leave one of Towns or Brunson on the court at the same team?

One of the big blunders on the part of the Knicks in game two was the fact that they sat Brunson and Towns at the same time and had some interesting lineups out there on the court, which the Hawks took advantage of.

I would anticipate that the Knicks are not going to make that mistake again, unless I am just underestimating Mike Brown. What are the Hawks going to do with their rotations if the Knicks do this?

3. Do the Hawks play both Tony Bradley and Corey Kispert again?

While Mo Gueye was injured in the first quarter of game one, he was not on the injury report for game three. Will Quin Snyder continue to use Gueye as the main backup big like he did in game one or will he go with Bradley, or perhaps use them both?

Kispert had fallen out of favor in the Hawks rotation in big games, but he got nine minutes in game two and finished with a +10 mark in the win. I would anticipate he gets a stint in the first half and how long he plays depends on how well he hits shots and defense.