{"id":716867,"date":"2026-04-23T23:45:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T23:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/716867\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T23:45:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T23:45:27","slug":"knicks-vs-hawks-game-3-prediction-nba-playoffs-picks-odds-best-bets-thursday-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/716867\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks vs. Hawks Game 3 prediction: NBA playoffs picks, odds, best bets Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards<\/a> for more information. <\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks, Image 2 shows Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) during the first half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks<\/p>\n

The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions repeatedly.<\/p>\n

Stop me if you\u2019ve heard this scenario before.<\/p>\n

The Knicks<\/a> are going into Game 3 of a first-round playoff series tied at 1-1. They dominated their opponent in Game 1 but were upset at Madison Square Garden <\/a>in Game 2.<\/p>\n

For the second straight playoffs, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks must reassure the city of New York that they can confront adversity and secure crucial road victories.<\/p>\n

This contest is essentially a pick em\u2019 with the Knicks laying 1.5 points and being set as slight -115 moneyline favorites to the Hawks\u2019 -105 odds, per bet365 Sportsbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Knicks vs. Hawks prediction, best bet<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 epic fourth-quarter collapse<\/a> in Game 2 looked awfully similar to last season\u2019s breakdown against the Pacers. Questionable half-court sets on offense, a lack of composure and an inability to make a timely defensive stop doomed them in the final minutes.<\/p>\n

The Knicks were held to just 15 points in the final quarter, 10 of which came from Brunson.\u00a0There was also C.J. McCollum turning back the clock and picking on Brunson whenever he guarded him<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The veteran guard found his spots efficiently all night, finishing with a game-high 32 points and a +13 plus-minus in the fourth quarter alone.<\/p>\n

\"Atlanta<\/p>\n

Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) looks on during the first half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

One Knicks-centric perspective is that, apart from losing to the Hornets in the regular-season finale when most players rested, the starters had essentially built a six-game winning streak that included Game 1.<\/p>\n

The Knicks experienced streaks of consecutive wins throughout the season, but each time, a setback would hit them, pushing them to refocus.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve been the better team throughout the series, and sometimes a wake-up call is needed.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m expecting a tough, physical start from Atlanta, riding momentum from Game 2 and their home crowd.<\/p>\n

Betting on the NBA?<\/p>\n

But two main advantages for the Knicks remain on the glass, out-rebounding the Hawks, 92-76, across both games, and Atlanta\u2019s struggles at the charity stripe (71.4%).<\/p>\n

The Knicks, despite a mediocre 22-19 road record, did win both away meetings against Atlanta in the regular season.\u00a0Remember, Brunson exploded for 17 fourth-quarter points en route to a Knicks 108-105 win<\/a> in early April.<\/p>\n

Sure, the Hawks made it a series, but the moment for a classic Brunson Burner performance to quiet the skeptics is Thursday night at State Farm Arena, and I\u2019m willing to bet on it.<\/p>\n

The Plays: Knicks moneyline (-115, bet365<\/a>) | Jalen Brunson Over 25.5 points (-125, BetMGM<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Why Trust New York Post Betting<\/p>\n

Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3768],"tags":[7,7504,677,288,304,6,1136,191,3810,3806,114],"class_list":{"0":"post-716867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-knicks","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-c-j-mccollum","10":"tag-hawks","11":"tag-jalen-brunson","12":"tag-knicks","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-knicks","16":"tag-newyork","17":"tag-newyorkknicks","18":"tag-pacers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116456687716938160","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}