Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks looked to be in exceptional shape in Game 2 against the New York Knicks, leading by as many as 15 points. However, Atlanta’s offense went silent after halftime, and New York executed a badly needed comeback to even the series at 1-1.
On Friday, the series moves from Manhattan to Atlanta, with the Hawks hosting their first playoff game since 2017. Though the Hawks are an offense-first team led by Young, John Collins and plenty of shooting, Atlanta’s defense has done its job in the series. Knicks star Julius Randle did find himself, at least to some degree, in the second half of Game 2, but the Hawks have been effective at walling off the rim, making life difficult on New York’s offense.
Young is averaging 31 points per game in the series, comfortably leading the team, but the bottom fell out for Atlanta in Game 2. The Hawks shot 11-of-40 from the floor after halftime, scoring only 35 points and only one point in the final five minutes. The Knicks deserve some level of credit for those results, as Tom Thibodeau pressed the right buttons, riding his veterans to success. It will be intriguing to see if New York can maintain an efficient offensive approach, and Nate McMillan also holds a potential trump card with the ability to increase minutes for Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic and others. All told, Game 3 is often pivotal in close-fought series, and this projects to be a hotly contested game.
From a betting standpoint, Game 2 went Under the total of 213.5 points and New York covered the closing point spread of 2 points as a favorite.
Game 3 TV Info
Tip Time: Friday, May 28; 7 p.m. ET
TV Network: ESPN
Game 3 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Series Prices: Hawks (-143), Knicks (+118)
Spread: Hawks -4 (-109), Knicks +4 (-113)
Total: Over 211 (-112), Under 211 (-109)
Money Line: Hawks (-165), Knicks (+138)