A dream season for the New York Knicks has quickly become a nightmare scenario, facing elimination from the NBA Playoffs when they host the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
New York is a short home favorite Wednesday night, having lost the last two games in Atlanta by double figures. However, the Hawks’ NBA betting success is very much based on venue, owning the top home ATS mark in the league (25-13 ATS) but going just 17-20-1 ATS on the road. Can the Knicks stay alive in Madison Square Garden?
Here are free NBA picks and predictions for Hawks vs. Knicks on June 2.
Hawks vs Knicks game info
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Date: Wednesday, June 2, 2021
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT
Hawks vs Knicks odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
NBA Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonNew York opened a slim 1.5-point home favorite Monday morning at PointsBet USA and shortly thereafter moved to -1 for about an hour, then returned to the opener. As of 4:45 p.m. ET on game day, the Knicks remain -1.5, with the Hawks getting 59 percent of bets, but New York landing 69 percent of cash. The Knicks are currently PointsBet's top liability on tonight's four-game NBA slate. The total inched from 207.5 to 208, with 79 percent of bets/57 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameHawks vs Knicks series odds
Hawks: -1,300
Knicks: +730
Hawks vs Knicks betting preview
Injuries
Hawks: Cam Reddish F (Out), Brandon Goodwin G (Out).
Knicks: Mitchell Robinson C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Knicks are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games as home favorites. Find more NBA betting trends for Hawks vs. Knicks.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Hawks weren’t great splitting the first two games of the series in MSG, shooting just 42 percent from the field and hitting at just 30 percent from beyond the arc with point totals of 107 and 92 in those opening contests.
Those numbers are a stark contrast to Atlanta’s work at home in Games 3 and 4, firing at nearly 48 percent on offense, including a 47-percent clip from distance, which led to 31 total 3-pointers. But if you’ve bet on the Hawks this year, these home/away split have likely dictated your decisions.
They boast an average margin of victory of +6.7 as hosts but just -1.8 as visitors for the entire season. There’s no denying the firepower of Atlanta, with a deep attack and plenty of options on offense, but the Hawks just aren’t as sharp in the role of visitor.
New York owned an advanced defensive metric of 103.1 in those opening games at MSG, which is actually better than the team’s regular-season mark of 108.4 at home. The Knicks are desperately hoping another game back in the Big Apple can kickstart their offense and finally give some support to a defense that’s fighting hard on the other end of the floor.
It’s tough to give New York any credit heading into Game 5 since this team was just one Nate McMillian brain fart away from being swept. But the Knicks did show a pulse in Game 4 — outside of a really bad third quarter — and there were positives for both Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett, who combined for 25 points on a collective 15-of-34 shooting, along with going 10 for 14 from the foul line. That’s night and day after the pair posted 21 total points on 4-for-24 shooting in Game 3.
This series also took an extra day between contests, with these teams having last played on Sunday and now taking a full two-day pause before Game 5 tips off on Wednesday. It may not be much but that does slow some of the momentum Atlanta built after winning both games at home — and gives Tom Thibodeau much-need time to iron out the many wrinkles with this N.Y. squad.
This spread is slimming, dropping from Knicks -2.5 to -1.5 with 65 percent of the early handle siding with the Hawks and the momentum. New York has been a scrappy team all season and they will fight at least one more game to stay alive and cover this Game 5 spread.
PREDICTION: New York -1.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Game 5 Over/Under is sitting around 208.5 points — on par with the closing number from Sunday’s 113-94 finish in Atlanta, which just played Over the total.
With Atlanta’s expected downturn in production away from home, and the offensive output from New York a big unknown, it’s hard to say which side of the total Game 5 will land on. The series pace rating sits at 95.63 after two plodding matchups in Atlanta (94.5). The two games in MSG saw the tempo tick up to 96.75 but there’s a lot of tape between these teams now and the playbooks are exposed.
At this point, it comes down to offensive execution and adjustments. The Knicks know they can’t outgun the Hawks, so expect another low-scoring finish on Wednesday as N.Y. leaves it all on the floor. So far in the NBA Playoffs, totals less than 220 points have yielded a 5-7-1 Over/Under mark (vs. 220-plus totals going 17-11-1 O/U).
PREDICTION: Under 208.5 (-110)
First half pick
The Knicks have been plagued with poor starts in this series, playing behind at the half in each of the first four games. New York has been edged by an average score of 55-46.75 at the break while shooting just over 37 percent from the floor in those opening 24 minutes.
The Knicks are not really built to play from behind. Sure, they can get the key stops but the scoring prowess of this team isn’t up to the challenge of closing those gaps quickly, thanks to a methodical pace on offense and an attack that doesn’t bury foes under a barrage of 3-pointers (10 per game in the postseason).
New York owns the best first-half defense at home in the NBA, allowing an average of only 51.8 points against in the opening two frames inside Madison Square Garden this season. That’s led to an average margin of +2.7 at the break.
If the Knicks are going to send this series back to the ATL, it will start with a strong first-half effort.
PREDICTION: New York -0.5 first half (-106)
Hawks vs Knicks betting card
- New York -1.5 (-110)
- Under 208.5 (-110)
- New York -0.5 first half (-106)
Picks made on 6/01/2021 at 12:21 p.m. ET
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NBA Hawks vs. Knicks picks, you could win $60.83 on a $10 bet?
Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on the NBA?
You can bet on NBA odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NBA moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NBA prop odds. Head over to our best sportsbooks for NBA betting in your area.
