Brunson led the team with an average of 26 points per game, while Towns routinely dominated opponents with a league-leading 56 double-doubles during the 2025-26 season. With a lighter-than-usual postseason schedule in Manhattan this spring, all eyes will be on the Knicks’ quest to bring an NBA title back to the city for the first time in over five decades.
NBA Playoffs: Knicks vs. Hawks Playoff Schedule
- Game 1: Hawks at Knicks – Saturday, April 18 (6 pm ET/Prime Video)
- Game 2: Hawks at Knicks – Monday, April 20 (8 p.m./NBC)
- Game 3: Knicks at Hawks – Thursday, April 23 (7 p.m./Prime Video)
- Game 4: Knicks at Hawks – Saturday, April 25 (6 p.m./NBC)
- Game 5: Hawks at Knicks – Tuesday, April 28 (TBD)*
- Game 6: Knicks at Hawks – Thursday, April 30 (TBD)*
- Game 7: Hawks at Knicks – Saturday, May 2 (TBD)
* = If necessary
The Charlotte Hornets scored a dramatic overtime victory, 127-126, over the Miami Heat to claim the winner’s spot in Friday’s Play-In Tournament elimination game. The Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic play tonight (April 15) in Philadelphia for the seventh seed in the East, with the loser of that matchup scheduled to host the Hornets on Friday night (April 17) to battle for the final playoff spot. The NBA’s first-round playoff schedule should be finalized following Friday night’s contest.
Knicks claimed the season series versus Hawks in 2025-26
The road squad has claimed wins in all three games between New York and Atlanta this season, with the Knicks holding a 2-1 record over its Southern-based neighbors. Each contest provided a glimpse at what this playoff series between the Knicks and Hawks will look like once it tips off on Saturday night.
New York survived a furious comeback attempt from Atlanta to secure a 128-125 road victory on December 27. Towns led the charge with 36 points and 15 rebounds in the Knicks’ win, while Brunson added 34 points. Onyeka Okongwu scored 31 points for Atlanta, and Jalen Johnson was a rebound shy of a triple-double (20 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds) on the evening.
Less than a week later, the Hawks turned the tables in a 111-99 road win on Jan 2 to kickstart the new year. Brunson’s team-leading 24 points weren’t enough to avoid the home loss with Towns on the sidelines due to illness. Johnson secured the triple-double (18 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds) he narrowly missed out on in his last outing against New York.
The Knicks snapped a four-game Hawks winning streak with a 108-105 road victory on April 6. Brunson led the Knicks’ scoring charge with 30 points, while Towns added his customary double-double behind 21 points and 12 rebounds. CJ McCollum’s game-tying half-court heave electrified the crowd at State Farm Arena, but the points were swiftly wiped off the board following a quick replay review showing the ball still on his fingertips as time expired.
New York and Atlanta have limited playoff history
This will be the fourth all-time postseason meeting between the Knicks and Hawks franchises. The playoff history features one-sided domination with no series going more than five games to crown a winner. New York won the first two head-to-head matchups in the postseason, but Atlanta walked off victorious the last time the clubs clashed in the playoffs.
Walt Frazier’s Knicks overcame Lou Hudson’s Hawks in a five-game series win at the 1971 Eastern Conference Semifinals. New York and Atlanta split the opening games in NYC before the Knicks won a pair of road contests before finishing off the Hawks with a four-point victory (111-107) in Game 5 at The Garden.
The eighth-seeded Knicks swept the fourth-seeded Hawks in the 1999 Eastern Conference Semifinals to jumpstart an improbable run to the NBA Finals. New York’s defense suffocated Atlanta’s shooters over four games, leading to a 32% shooting percentage (compared to 45% success rate for Knicks scorers like Allan Houston). The Knicks upset the second-seed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals before a five-game series loss to the San Antonio Spurs ended the fairy tale in June 1999. It was the last time New York appeared in the NBA’s final series.
Trae Young was nearly unstoppable during a five-game series win for Atlanta in the 2021 Eastern Conference First Round in May 2021. Derrick Rose (97 points in five games) and Julius Randle (90 points in five games) led the scoring charge for the Knicks, but the duo didn’t have enough defensive help to defuse the hot-shooting Hawks. Young, then 22-years-old, averaged 29.2 points a game to lead all scorers in the series with 147 points over five contests in his first taste of postseason hoops.
Prediction: Knicks in 5 games
Five years later, New York and Atlanta meet once again in the playoffs. New York should look to slow down the fast-paced offense while using Towns to dominate the defensive glass to control the possession game. The Brunson-Towns duo will be a tough one to stop for Atlanta. McCollum is a capable scoring threat for Atlanta, but New York should have enough defenders (OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, or Josh Hart) to help neutralize his output.
Knicks fans should feel good heading into this postseason matchup with the Hawks. While anything can happen in the NBA’s postseason, New York should be able to ground Atlanta with a solid mix of scoring and defensive length that will frustrate the Hawks to no end in this series. For my two cents, I’ve got the Knicks over the Hawks in five games.
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