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In the first of four playoff games to tipoff Wednesday night, we have the No. 5 seed Atlanta Hawks playing the No. 4 seed New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Hawks currently lead the first-round series 3-1 after defeating the Knicks 113-96 in Game 4 on Sunday. We’ll go over some ideal picks with DraftKings Sportsbook odds.
Hawks vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Pick ATS: Knicks -1.5
The Knicks are in do-or-die mode in his elimination game on Wednesday night against the Hawks. Atlanta did what New York could not do, which defend home courts in both games. The Hawks did that successfully, thanks in large part to play of Trae Young and John Collins.
In this series alone, Young is averaging 27.5 points and 10 assists per game, while shooting 47% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range. As for Collins, he’s been a consistent scoring option for Hawks outside of Young. Despite only averaging 12 points in the series, he scored 14 and 22 points respectively in Games 3 and 4.
The Knicks are going to need all hands on deck to pull out Game 5 and it starts with Julius Randle. The Most Improved Player has struggled in this first-round matchup, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 27.4% from the field. New York was one of the best teams in the second half of the season against the spread, but are 1-3 ATS in the playoffs.
I cannot imagine losing at a packed MSG in an elimination game. If they can shoot better than 30.5% from three-point range and Randle can be efficient and effective, then the Knicks should win and cover.
Player Prop: TBD player props not yet posted for either team
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