Winners and Losers From the Atlanta Hawks Disastrous Game Six Loss to The Knicks

The Hawks season is over after losing by 51 points to the Knicks in game six

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder reacts after receiving a technical foul against the New York Knicks in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Just like that, the season is over for the Atlanta Hawks, and it was arguably the most embarrassing loss in franchise history.

With the season on the line and after getting blown out in two straight games, Atlanta trailed by as many as 61 points tonight and ended up losing a playoff game by 51 points. For such a promising season, the ending to it could not have gotten worse.

Let's break it down.

Winners: The Knicks

New York wins the series and hands the Hawks the worst loss in franchise history.

Loser: Any sense of optimism this franchise built

Let me say that the Hawks have a promising young group of players led by Jalen Johnson, and they have a solid shot at landing the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery next Sunday. This was a rough first exposure to the playoffs for many of these players, and one result does not necessarily doom them from having future success.

But this is a loss that is devastating and deflating, which is going to erase a lot of the goodwill and optimism that was built with the 20-6 finish to the season. No player can walk away and say they played a good series overall, and now it feels like the Hawks have more questions than answers, which would have seemed unfathomable just a week ago when the Hawks led the series 2-1.

Loser: Dyson Daniels

With the game well out of hand, Dyson Daniels and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson got into a scuffle that saw both players get ejected in the game.

It was a clear moment of frustration for Daniels and just added on to what was an embarrassing night for the franchise.

Loser: CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga

I will group these two together to talk about them.

McCollum and Kuminga are the Hawks' two big free agent decisions the team has to make. McCollum is an unrestricted free agent heading into the summer, while Kuminga has a $24 million team option that the Hawks have to decide on. They were both great in the Hawks' game two and three victories, but overall, it was a rough series.

The Knicks seemed to figure the Hawks out after game three, and McCollum and Kuminga were nothing short of disasters. They did not get to play a full season with the team, but did they show enough to where the Hawks want to continue investing in them for next season? This was the worst possible result if they were both hoping to land good deals to return. They could both be back, but it is a more interesting question than even just a week ago.