Winners and Losers From the Atlanta Hawks Blowout Loss In Game Four to The New York Knicks

The Hawks were blown out at home by the Knicks and the series is now tied 2-2 heading back to New York for game five

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After two thrilling wins this week against the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks were reminded tonight of what makes New York such a good team and one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. It was a blowout from the opening quarter until the final horn and after a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead back to Madison Square Garden, the series is tied and will go at least six games.

Here are the winners and losers from tonight.

Winner- Fans Hoping for a long series

Yes, this is my only winner for the Hawks. The game was that pitiful.

If you are a Hawks fan, Knicks fan, or NBA fan in general and you were wanting a long series, well you are going to get one. With the Knicks win tonight, they have ensured that the season is going to go until next Thursday at the earliest and depending on how game six goes in Atlanta, there could even be a game seven in Atlanta.

This has been one of the most exciting first round series in the league so far and if you are hoping for it to go a little longer, you are going to get your wish.

Loser- Atlanta's offense

I can't even single anyone out on the Hawks because the effort in this game was so poor and it was a blowout from the opening tip. There are several reasons why Atlanta lost this game, but the offensive performance is at the top.

Atlanta was dreadful shooting the three tonight, going 10-41 from three and turning the ball over 18 times. When you play like that, it does not matter how good your defense is, and the Hawks were not super on that end either. Half of Atlanta's makes from three came from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who had five.

The Hawks finished the game with a 97.0 offensive rating, which is nowhere near good enough to win a game like this.

The other thing that the Knicks did was take away the Hawks transition offense. Atlanta is one of the best fast break teams in the league and the Knicks completely took away that part of the Hawks game. Atlanta finished with seven fast break points, with all of those coming in garbage time.

This was a terrible performance from the Hawks offense and the Knicks physicality clearly bothered them. Can they bounce back and get the series win?

Loser- Hawks defense

There was nothing good that came out of this game for the Hawks, but after a great defensive performance in game three. Atlanta allowed the Knicks to nearly 50% from the field and 45% from three. The Knicks finished with a 118.6 offensive rating and Karl-Anthony Towns went for a triple double. New York seemed to have an answer for whatever the Hawks had to throw at them.

Loser-Missed Chance For Atlanta

The Hawks had a chance on their home floor to really take control of the series, but they played their worst game of the postseason so far. They would not have clinched anything, but going up 3-1 in a series would have put the Knicks at a serious disadvantage and the Hawks would have been heavy favorites to win it.

Now? It becomes a best of three series and the Hawks are going to have to win at least one more game on the road in one of the rowdiest environments imaginable. This young team has found answers time and again this season, but tonight was a step in the wrong direction.