The Atlanta Hawks host the New York Knicks for Game 6 on Thursday at 7:00 PM ET at the State Farm Arena, with the Hawks facing potential elimination with a 3-2 series deficit.
The Knicks sent a message with a dominant 126-97 Game 5 win over the Hawks, retaking the lead in the series with a second dominant win after falling 2-1 after Game 3.
Nothing went right for Atlanta on either end of the court in this near 30-point loss. Jalen Johnson led the team with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Center Onyeka Okongwu had 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while defensive guard Dyson Daniels had a breakout scoring game with 17 points and five assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker also put up 16 points, but this well-distributed scoring attack had little impact.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with a masterful 39 points (15-23 FG) and eight assists, while OG Anunoby contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns made his presence felt with 16 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks. Josh Hart had nine points, five rebounds, and four assists. The only other Knick to score in double digits was Jose Alvarado off the bench in garbage time (12 PTS, 4-7 FG).
The Knicks are one win away from punching their ticket to the second round. The Hawks will hope to channel the version of themselves they showed in a 109-108 Game 3 win at home, rather than the one they displayed in their 114-98 Game 4 loss at home.
Injury Report
Hawks
Jock Landale: Out (ankle)
Knicks
Josh Hart: Questionable (back)
Why The Hawks Have The Advantage
The Hawks need to find ways to maximize the things that have led to their success this season. The Knicks have been a significantly better team throughout this series, as the Hawks’ only wins have been by one point. But that speaks to one of their strengths, as they can keep games close enough to have an opportunity to seal it in the clutch. Their three losses were all by at least nine points, so if the Hawks can be competitive enough to keep the game close, they might be able to out-execute a Knicks team that’s looked shaky in close-game situations.
The Hawks shot 37.1% from three over the regular season, ranking fifth in the NBA. Unfortunately, their overall shooting has lagged this series with a 32.2% on 59-183 shooting over the five games so far. Their best shooting night was Game 3, where they went 13-33 (39.4 3P%), which highlights that their shooting can be one of their biggest advantages. They have a scrappy and active perimeter defense that held the Knicks to 28.6% from three in Game 3 as well, so they’ll hope these two elements can go in their favor.
CJ McCollum had a rough performance in Game 5, but he is still one of their few offensive players who can create advantages on his own. He averaged 20.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists through the first three games of the series and needs to rediscover that form if the Hawks want to keep this series alive. McCollum can create and score on-ball as a veteran ball-handler who can disrupt the Knicks’ elite perimeter defensive pieces. His offensive ability is crucial to the Hawks, so if he can find a way to be productive, the Hawks will be optimistic about their chances.
One of the few silver linings from their Game 5 loss was that the Hawks ensured wing pieces like Hart and Bridges never felt comfortable enough to get their offense going. While they both were low-volume shooters in this clash due to the success from other players, the Hawks did their job in denying them open opportunities. If they can shut them down again while also finding a solution for Brunson at the point, the Hawks will force a Game 7 back at Madison Square Garden.
Why The Knicks Have The Advantage
The Knicks have comprehensively shown that they’ve been the better team over this first-round series. The series record doesn’t reflect how elite the Knicks have been for the most part. If they hadn’t had their two clutch time collapses in Games 2 and 3, this series would likely already be over.
The biggest advantage the Knicks have created in this series is their incredible rebounding. The Knicks are winning the rebounding battle 45.8 to 37.2, absolutely crushing the interior. This translates to offensive rebounding as well, with the Knicks averaging 10.8 offensive rebounds per game compared to Atlanta’s 8.8 in this series. With the team’s evenly-matched in terms of steals, assists, and blocks, this rebounding differential is proving to be one of the biggest swing factors in the series.
The Hawks don’t have much to offer in the paint outside the 6’9″ Okongwu, who’s physically outmatched by Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. Adding the pressure on the glass provided by Hart and Anunoby has made this one of the biggest difference-making factors in this series.
The other major advantage for the Knicks has been the reliability of their shooting. Outside their dismal Game 3 shooting performance, the Knicks shot 12-25 (48.0 3P%) in Game 1, 14-31 (45.2 3P%) in Game 4, and 11-26 (42.3 3P%) in Game 5. All three of their wins coincide with them shooting above 40% from outside, so it’s clear that if the Knicks have their shots falling, they’ll be too far ahead for the Hawks to catch.
Jalen Brunson is averaging 28.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this series, comprehensively proving his ability to lead a championship contender. Even when the Knicks are looking sluggish, Brunson carries them forward and leads them to wins. He’s the best player across both teams in this series, and as a result, is one of the Knicks’ biggest advantages. His opponents might slow him down, but they haven’t found a way to stop him, which makes the Knicks impossible to stop offensively.
X-Factors
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 14.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists through five games in this series. If he can break out in Game 6 and prove he deserves to be recognized as the Most Improved Player in the NBA, then the Hawks will be too dangerous. Alexander-Walker is also a strong defensive option for Brunson, although there’s been no stopping Brunson. Regardless, Alexander-Walker is well-rounded and can ensure the Hawks have highly effective and efficient guard play.
Jonathan Kuminga has played a key role off the bench in this series and was the only Hawks bench player to score in double-digits (13 PTS) during their Game 5 loss. Kuminga might still be adjusting to a team he joined in February, but the team needs his production off the bench to keep pace with the Knicks. The team that plays better offensively has won each game in this series. If that’s the difference-maker, the Hawks need Kuminga to fill that role, as he did in their Game 2 win.
The Knicks’ rebounding advantage in this series wouldn’t be possible without Mitchell Robinson’s highly impactful play off the bench. Robinson is averaging 6.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks so far this series. While there is limited utility in keeping Robinson on the court due to his one-dimensional offense, he’s the Knicks’ biggest impact player on defense. His presence on the boards, as well as a rim protector, ensures his 15.0 minutes per game are some of the most productive for any player in the series.
Josh Hart is averaging 9.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists through five games in this series, continuing to prove why he’s one of the biggest x-factors in the NBA. His defensive ability and effort on the glass are guaranteed every game, with his offensive production creating huge swings when he does go off. He’s a guaranteed positive contributor with his off-ball skills, so keeping him away from scoring will be crucial for Atlanta if they want their season to stay alive.
Prediction
This might be a home game for the Hawks, but it’s hard to see how they can beat the Knicks here. They haven’t conclusively proven they’re the better team in any category over the course of this series. If the result is going to come down to which team can reliably score more points than the other, it’s quite an easy pick to go with the Knicks to finish this series on the road and advance to the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Prediction: Hawks 113, Knicks 108
