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We have three close-out games tonight in the NBA, which is about as exciting as it can be in the playoffs. So far, there have been some great games in the NBA, and none of the series are complete in the Eastern Conference. The first of these matchups tonight is between the Knicks and the Hawks.
This has been an interesting series for the Knicks. I mentioned this in past articles about this series, but New York has definitely been the better team in the series. The Knicks have won three games by double digits, and the two losses were by one point each. They’ve looked like the better team in probably all five games to this point, and now they just need to be the best team one more time. Aside from a couple of bad quarters, the Knicks have been able to effectively manage the Hawks’ defense. They have also been able to score at will in the past two games.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts during the first half of an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta on April 6, 2026. (Colin Hubbard/AP)
On Tuesday, we were able to get a prop victory before halftime as Karl-Anthony Towns had four assists before the second quarter ended. That cashed our ticket and gave us a peaceful night. Game 5 was really about the success of Jalen Brunson. Towns was great — he had 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, but Brunson was efficient in scoring 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting for the night.
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The Hawks finally got back to what had worked for them during the season with Jalen Johnson orchestrating the team. However, his offensive output only accounted for 18 points. That was still almost 20% of their total points, and if you add in his six assists, that puts him at over 25% of the total offense from the team. This was the first time he led the team in all three categories, and maybe that is actually a problem for their offense. Johnson was able to lead the team in all three categories in the regular season, but perhaps they need to be more dynamic in the postseason.
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart has the ball stolen by Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Apr. 23, 2026. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
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CJ McCollum had been great for the Hawks in their wins, but in Game 5 he was just 3-for-10 and put in just six points. With four turnovers, he almost matched his scoring total with the turnovers. As a team, they need to be more active on the glass as well. They hauled in 27 rebounds, but Towns and OG Anunoby combined for 24 themselves. The Hawks lost the battle by 21 rebounds, which is hard to overcome.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates his three-point shot against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of Game 6 in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 16, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
I’m going back to the well with Towns getting 4+ assists at -132. He has been great at finding open teammates and has gotten at least four assists in four of the five games of the series. I also think this series is over. I said before the series started that the Hawks were not going to win. I’ll recognize they performed better than expected, but I think the Knicks close this out. Give me them -1.5.
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