Check out the AJC Sport staff’s predictions for the Hawks-Knicks series
After an up-and-down regular season (or was is down-and-up?), the Hawks are back in the NBA playoffs, facing the third-seeded Knicks in the first round.
The Hawks finished 46-36 — their most wins in the regular season in a decade — and earned the sixth seed. They have won just two playoff series in that span, but some analysts are predicting a competitive series against the Knicks, who went to the Eastern Conference finals last season.
Here are predictions from some of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s sports staffers:
Lauren Williams, Hawks beat writer: The Hawks have gained confidence from their 20-6 finish to the regular season. They’ve also gained some knowledge of how to play the Knicks but may have to lean heavily on the postseason experience of CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Gabe Vincent and Jonathan Kuminga to grind out a series with a Knicks team that has a surplus of it.
The series isn’t impossible, and the Hawks will have to get crafty with their adjustments from game to game.
This could be a series where Jalen Johnson cements himself as a star in the league, and the Hawks will need him to keep his wits about him. Alexander-Walker and McCollum have shown their ability to go out and score, and the Hawks could get some big contributions from unlikely sources.
Prediction: Hawks in 7 games
Michael Cunningham, columnist: New York’s victory at State Farm Arena last week was a preview of how this series is going to go. The Knicks will play bully ball with big man Karl-Anthony Towns and point guard Jalen Brunson. The Hawks will run-and-gun with forward Jalen Johnson and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Hawks can advance with a star showing from Johnson, the most unique player in the series, but he needs more experience before he can carry them.
Prediction: Knicks in 6 games
Ken Sugiura, columnist: No. 6 seeds taking down No. 3 seeds isn’t uncommon (one in each of the past three playoffs), but they’ve had advantages such as experience and health, and the teams’ records were more similar than the Hawks and Knicks’ are.
That said, the Hawks’ 46-36 mark doesn’t accurately reflect who they are relative to New York (53-29), given their 20-6 mark after the All-Star break.
How Dyson Daniels defends Knicks scorer Jalen Brunson and how Jalen Johnson handles the postseason crucible will go a long way toward determining the Hawks’ hopes.
It’ll be close, but the Knicks are the better team, have home-court advantage and have much more playoff experience. That’s a lot for the Hawks to overcome.
Prediction: Knicks in 7
Gabe Burns, sports reporter: The last two times the Hawks won the Southeast Division, they wound up in the conference finals. Will history repeat? They’ll be a trendy upset pick, as they seem to match up well against New York and the teams’ latest meeting — a 108-105 Knicks victory — showed how competitive this series could be.
This begins Jalen Johnson’s national ascension. If he fares well against the Knicks’ feisty defenders, he’ll start to be taken seriously as one of the NBA’s rising young talents. Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s breakout will also get its due credit on the New York stage.
How will the Hawks defend Karl Anthony-Towns? Onyeka Okongwu hasn’t been effective against him in the past. Dyson Daniels will largely be tasked with Jalen Brunson. It’s stating the obvious, but how the Hawks contain those two will determine the series.
The Hawks can certainly win this. They’re well-equipped for a playoff series with their new identity of toughness and versatility. And while they have some experienced players, this group hasn’t done it together yet. The Knicks have. And they have a potential Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. So I’ll give the nod to New York, but the Hawks impress the country and set up excitement for 2026-27.
Prediction: Knicks in 7
Tyler Estep, Newsletter writer: All the pressure’s on the Knicks, and they haven’t done well with that since … well, since 1973 or so. Karl-Anthony Towns is unreliable, and while Jalen Brunson is enviably effective with the game on the line, he’ll have to deal with Dyson Daniels’ defense most of the time.
Close contests all around, but the vibes (and more individual playoff experience than folks might realize) are on the Hawks’ side.
Always ride the vibes.
Prediction: Hawks in 6
Rod Beard, Senior Sports Editor: With a stellar second half of the season, the Hawks earned their spot in the playoffs, against the Knicks, the No. 3 seed. It’s a formidable foe, but it could present the most likely upset pick of the first round in the East. Not having to do the play-in tournament is a step forward, and the Hawks have an opportunity to make a huge statement.
The Hawks have the defensive pieces to try to limit Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and keep the Knicks’ other players in check. They’re jelling at the right time and if they can get out in transition, the Hawks could present problems. They have found ways to get offensive contributions from several players, which makes them tougher to defend.
Prediction: Hawks in 6
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