Three Things The Hawks Must Fix Ahead of Game Five vs New York

What do the Hawks need to do to ensure they beat the Knicks in game five of the first round?

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

Tomorrow's game five between the Hawks and the Knicks is going to be one of the most anticipated games so far this postseason. Atlanta had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead over the Knicks on Saturday night, but the Knicks dominated the game and won by 16. Now the series shifts back to Madison Square Garden and the winner of tomorrow's game will be one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Here are three things the Hawks must do better if they want to win tomorrow night.

1. Three ball has to go down

During the regular season, the Hawks were 5th in the NBA in three point percentage, but that has significantly dropped in the postseason. Atlanta is 11th out of the 16 teams in the postseason in three point shooting percentage and that was most evident in the last game.

The Hawks were 10-41 from three against the Knicks in game four; five of those makes came from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

This has been a disappointing shooting display from the Hawks in this series and if they continue to shoot the ball like this, it is going to be near impossible to win two of the next three games. If they can start hitting shots, they will give themselves a chance.

2. Clean up turnovers

Turnovers as a whole have not been the biggest problem for the Hawks through the first four games of the series, but they were one of the main reasons they lost their last game. Atlanta turned the ball over 18 times against New York in that game and after the loss, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder talked about the ball security and what led to some of the turnovers:

"I mean, it's both, really. You know, I think when a team is aggressive, you know, you have to be more sure with the ball. Passes are tougher. You need to get off it sooner. I think as much as anything, you can't attack on your own. You know, you have to attack collectively, and I thought when that did happen, We were trying to respond, but we weren't responding collectively. We were responding individually. And, you know, it showed in the stat line. I think we had more turnovers than assists until the end of the game."

3. Transition game

The Hawks were one of the best transition offenses in the NBA this season, but there were questions as to how they would respond in the playoffs when things traditionally move over to the halfcourt being featured more prominently. The Hawks halfcourt offense has been very subpar in this series and they did not get any fastbreak points until the game was firmly out of hand in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks have dictated the pace in this series so far and that is not going to be favorable to the Hawks. Can they find ways to get out and run in transition, which would also maximize Jalen Johnson's game as well?