Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks Prediction, 4/18/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: Prime Video

Odds/Point Spread: Atlanta (+5.0)

The Atlanta Hawks (46-36) are traveling to Madison Square Garden on Saturday where they will try to beat the New York Knicks (53-29) in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference 1st round series. New York opens this matchup as 5.0-point favorites. The total has been set at 216.

The Hawks took the court against the Heat and took a loss by a final of 143-117 in their last contest. Atlanta walked away from the contest with a 47.3% FG percentage (44 of 93) and converted 17 of 44 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Hawks buried 12 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. With regard to hauling in boards, they collected a total of 46 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 31 dimes in the matchup in addition to creating 7 turnovers and having 3 steals. In terms of the defense, Atlanta allowed their opponent to shoot 56.3% from the field on 58 of 103 shooting. Miami earned 34 dimes and had 11 steals for this contest. In addition, Miami pulled down 45 boards (13 offensive, 32 defensive) and had 2 rejections. Miami walked away from this one shooting 70.6% when shooting free throws by making 12 of 17 attempts. They also converted 15 out of their 37 tries from distance. In the matter of personal fouls, the Hawks walked away with 17 while the Heat finished the game with 14 personal fouls.

Buddy Hield is a player who was a major factor in this matchup. He ended up scoring 31 points on 12 of 18 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 21 minutes played and also grabbed 3 rebounds. Hield finished the game at 66.7% from the floor and dished out 3 assists.

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Atlanta heads into this contest with a record of 46-36 so far this year. They have an average of 118.5 pts per game (6th in the NBA) while shooting 47.4% from the floor. The Hawks are shooting 37.1% on shots from beyond the arc (1,201 of 3,237) and 77.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Atlanta is pulling in 43.5 boards per contest and has accounted for 2,471 assists this season, which is 1st in basketball in terms of passing. They are turning it over 14.2 times per game and as a unit they are committing 19.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Hawks are forcing 16.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.5 fouls. They currently rank 15th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 2,185 conceded on the campaign. The Hawks defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 47.4% (3,473 of 7,334) and they relinquish 45.2 boards per game as a squad. They are giving up 35.5% on shots from distance and they are ranked 18th in basketball in points per game allowed (116.0).

For their last game, the Knicks walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 110-96 when they played the Hornets. The Knicks collected 27 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 39 for the contest. They turned the ball over 11 times, while recording 10 steals in this contest. The Hornets committed 13 personal fouls in this contest which took the Knicks to the free throw line for a total of 8 tries. They were able to make 5 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 62.5%. In relation to 3-pointers, New York buried 13 of 40 attempts (32.5%). When all was said and done, the Knicks finished shooting 39 out of 90 from the field which had them sitting at 43.3%. The Knicks permitted the Hornets to knock down 39 of their 85 attempts from the floor which had them at 45.9% in this matchup. They wrapped up this game 36.5% from beyond the perimeter by going 19 out of 52 and finished the game at 13 out of 17 at the charity stripe (76.5%). In regard to rebounding, New York allowed Charlotte to grab 46 overall (12 offensive).

Miles McBride was important for the Knicks for the game. McBride earned 21 points in his 24 minutes on the court and tallied 1 assist for this contest. He knocked down 8 out of 15 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 53.3%, and added 3 rebounds.

New York has a record of 53-29 this year. The Knicks have committed 20.0 personal fouls every game and they shoot 79.2% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 27.4 times per game (13th in the league) and they turn it over 13.6 times per game. New York has totaled 9,549 points this season (116.5 per game) and they pull in 45.6 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the floor, which has them ranked 11th in the NBA.

The Knicks on the defensive end are ranked 5th in the league in points per game surrendered with 110.1. They are able to force 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 46.0% from the field (5th in basketball). The New York defense gives up 36.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (1,138 of 3,145) and opponents are making 77.8% of their foul shots. They give up 25.0 assists and 40.5 rebounds per game, which is ranked 6th and 4th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Atlanta (+5.0)

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