The Atlanta Hawks will take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Hawks-Knicks prediction and pick.
After these teams played each other in the playoffs in 2021, expectations were high for both squads heading into this season. Unfortunately, neither team has been able to meet them.
The Hawks, a year after appearing in the Eastern Conference Finals, are currently holding the final play-in spot. They're 35-36 and 10th in the East.
The Knicks have had an even worse year. New York is 30-41 with essentially no hope for postseason basketball. They do have a chance to get some revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year, so this matchup should be an interesting one.
Here are the Hawks-Knicks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Hawks-Knicks Odds
Atlanta Hawks: -3 (-112)
New York Knicks: +3 (-108)
Over: 226 (-110)
Under: 226 (-110)
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
Atlanta's offense should hold up well in this matchup. The Hawks have been one of the better offensive teams in the NBA all season long, averaging nearly 113 points per game. Atlanta also shoots 46% from the field, a number that places them inside the top 10 in the NBA in that category. Their shooting efficiency numbers and their effective field goal percentage both rank inside the top 10 as well. This is a very good Hawks offense that can hang with just about any team in the league.
The Knicks will be missing their best player in this matchup. Starting forward Julius Randle has been ruled out of this game because of a quad injury, dealing a huge blow to New York's chances of covering. Randle currently leads the team in points per game, assists per game, and rebounds per game. When a team is that reliant on a single player, replacing him with backups is nearly impossible. The Hawks should be able to capitalize on Randle's absence throughout this contest.
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
Even without Randle, the Knicks probably won't have much trouble scoring in this game. The Hawks have been one fo the worst defensive teams in the NBA this year, as they allow 112 points per game while giving up a 47% field goal percentage to their opponents. Atlanta's opponents have scored 113 points or more in four of their last five games. This is a flat-out bad Hawks defense, and it will show in this game.
New York isn't the only team dealing with injuries in this matchup. The Hawks have a lengthy injury report that includes John Collins, Lou Williams, and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Williams and Collins have been ruled out, while Bogdanovic is questionable. These absences will significantly affect Atlanta's depth, which means that guys like Delon Wright and Kevin Knox may be forced into big minutes. That's not a recipe for success against anyone, even the Knicks.
Final Hawks-Knicks Prediction & Pick
This game is essentially a tossup, but the Knicks have the advantage of being underdogs that play on their home court. Take New York to cover in this game and potentially win straight up.
Final Hawks-Knicks Pick: New York Knicks: +3 (-108)
Follow Us
Subscribe