Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/18/2026

Game Time: 6:00 pm ET, Saturday, April 18, 2026

Venue:  Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to Watch:  Prime Video

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Hawks +4.5, Knicks -4.5; Over/Under:  217.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Hawks +4.5, Knicks -4.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Hawks +4.5, Knicks -4.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

Atlanta Hawks:  46-36 (1st place, Southeast Division)

New York Knicks:  53-29 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

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Atlanta Hawks:  6-4 last 10

New York Knicks:  6-4 last 10

The Hawks are entering the playoffs with a 46-36 record overall this season and they were 22-19 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Miami Heat. Buddy Hield led the team in points in that game with 31 while Corey Kispert was next on the team with 21 points. Keshon Gilbert led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Asa Newell led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 47.3% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 118.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116 PPG against them. The Hawks have an ATS record of 44-38 this season and their O/U record is 41-41.

The Knicks are entering the playoffs with a 53-29 record overall this season and they were 30-10 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Charlotte Hornets. Miles McBride led the team in points in that game with 21 while Jose Alvarado was next on the team with 16 points. Jose Alvarado led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Ariel Hukporti led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 43.3% from the field, 32.5% from 3-point range, and 62.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.1 PPG against them. The Knicks have an ATS record of 44-39 this season and their O/U record is 38-45.

The current betting odds have the Knicks listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Knicks have looked great in their games this season with their 53-29 record overall which had them right near the top of the East. They have looked great on their home court too with their 30-10 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Hawks have looked good in their games this season with their 46-36 record overall which had them in the top half of the East. They have been a good road team too with their 22-19 road record this year. This is the 1st game of a 7-game series between the 3 seeded Knicks and the 6 seeded Hawks in the East for the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. The Hawks are off a loss to the Heat in a game they didn't need to win and they have looked pretty good lately. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games as they were fighting for that last playoff spot in the East and they have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the trade deadline. The Hawks have been beating up on teams over the last month, but they aren't a team with a ton of playoff experience on their side. The Knicks do have that playoff experience though and they even went on a run last year. They will be looking to go even deeper this season too, so look for the Knicks to come out strong in this series opener. They ended the regular season with a loss to the Hornets in a game that they didn't need to win, but they are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have looked good lately. This is going to be a big step up for this new look Hawks team against one of the best teams in the NBA this year, and the Knicks have looked like a completely different team on their home court this season too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Knicks to cover the spread in this game. 

Hawks Knicks Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Saturday, April 18, 2026 (6:00 pm ET start time) is Knicks 117 Hawks 106.

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Atlanta Hawks: 2-16 ATS off a road blowout loss of 20 points or more. 7-19 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a home favorite. 18-25 ATS versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 3+ per game. 5-1 UNDER in a road game where the total is 210 to 219.5. 22-15 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%).

New York Knicks: 31-22 ATS against Southeast division opponents. 30-13 ATS after scoring 100 points or less. 25-17 ATS off a home loss. 29-15 UNDER versus teams who average 9 or more steals/game on the season. 

Atlanta Hawks:  O. Okongwu (C) Day To Day - Finger. D. Daniels (SG) Day To Day - Toe. N. Alexander-Walker (SG) Day To Day - Toe. C. McCollum (PG) Day To Day - Rest. J. Johnson (SF) Day To Day - Rest. J. Kuminga (PF) Day To Day - Knee. J. Landale (C) Out - Ankle.

New York Knicks:  J. Brunson (PG) Day To Day - Ankle. J. Hart (SG) Day To Day - Ankle. K. Towns (C) Day To Day - Elbow. O. Anunoby (PF) Day To Day - Ankle. M. Robinson (C) Day To Day - Ankle. T. Kolek (PG) Day To Day - Oblique.

“I think he’s done a tremendous job of continuing to build that foundation, harping on the pillars of what it takes to be successful and just really focusing on the day-to-day work.” - CJ McCollum on Quin Snyder this season. 

“It’s a two way street. In today’s world, it’s hard to force anybody to do anything. If you have a good enough relationship with people, you can look them in the eye. And you can tell them when they need to sacrifice a little bit more, if they’re not doing it. Not only that, their teammates can tell them. That peer pressure, when you’re on this level, is huge.” - Mike Brown on his team’s mentality this season. 

PG CJ McCollum

SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker

SF Dyson Daniels

PF Jalen Johnson

C Onyeka Okongwu

PG Jalen Brunson

SG Josh Hart

SF Mikal Bridges

PF OG Anunoby

C Karl-Anthony Towns

PPG: Jalen Johnson (22.5)

APG: Keshon Gilbert (9)

Reb/G: Jalen Johnson (10.3)

PPG: Jalen Brunson (26)

APG: Jalen Brunson (6.8)

Reb/G: Karl-Anthony Towns (11.9)

Coaches:

Atlanta Hawks: Quin Snyder (4th season)

New York Knicks: Mike Brown (1st season)