The NBA playoffs continue on Monday with Game 2 between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks at 8:00 pm ET on NBC. New York, the third seed in the Eastern Conference, is looking to take complete control of the series after winning the opener 113-102 on Saturday evening inside Madison Square Garden.
Let’s dive into my Hawks vs. Knicks Game 2 prediction.
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks odds
Money line: Hawks +188 / Knicks -220
Spread: Hawks +5.5 (-110) / Knicks -5.5 (-110)
Total: Over 216.5 (-106) / Under 216.5 (-114)
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks best bet: Over 216.5 (-106)
Atlanta will surely try its best to turn this into a fast-paced transition game, because a half-court style certainly didn’t work out for the visitors in Game. Still, there would have been more than 215 points scored if the Hawks had not been held to a mere 19 in the third quarter. Aside from that drought, both teams scored on a relatively consistent basis this past weekend.
There are other reasons to think that Monday’s contest will be higher scoring. Atlanta attempted just 19 free-throws in the opener and missed seven. Moreover, the Hawks and Knicks combined for a total of 33 bench points, with the reserves shooting a combined 3-for-14 from downtown. That probably isn’t going to happen again.
An undersized Hawks lineup simply has no answer for Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns. In two regular-season H2H meetings, KAT averaged 28.5 points per game while shooting 17-for-27 from the field and 5-for-10 from three-point range. In Game 1, Towns went for 25 points on a 6-for-13 effort from the floor, 3-for-4 from the land of plenty, and 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Hawks guard CJ McCollum continues to have a hot hand. Over his last two games, McCollum is 22-for-36 from the field and 10-for-17 from deep for an average of 27.5 ppg.
Nine of the last 13 H2H have produced at least 223 points, including a 253-point barrage in their first matchup this season.