NBA Basketball
2026-04-23 - New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs First Round Game 3
Thursday 23rd April 2026 - Scheduled 7pm EST
12am (British Time)
Preview
For seven Quarters in this First Round Series, the New York Knicks looked the better team than the Atlanta Hawks and they were very much on course for a 2-0 lead.
They opened the Fourth Quarter of Game 2 with a 12 point lead, but the Knicks lost their way Offensively and missing on the buzzer saw that lead erased and end with a single point defeat. However, whether you lose by a single point or 100 points, it adds up to the same thing and that is that the New York Knicks have dropped home court advantage ahead of the trip to Georgia.
Now it is the turn of the Atlanta Hawks to host and they will be looking to take a real grip of this First Round Series by winning Game 3 and 4, which are played on Thursday and Saturday.
There is a lot to like about the level-headed approach that a young Hawks took to battling back in Game 2, but they were also aided by a New York Knicks team that went ice cold from the field. Just 15 points were scored by the home team in the Fourth Quarter of Game 2, which is a remarkable climbdown from reaching at least 26 points in each of the previous seven Quarters played.
New York will be looking to make a few adjustments, but there may also be a feeling that they just took the eye off the ball in the Fourth Quarter while managing a big lead and even then had a chance to win the game at the very end.
One of the adjustments that have to be made is avoiding falling in love with the three point shot- they had 9 more attempts in Game 2 compared with Game 1, but it was scoring just one more bucket in the second game that displayed the inefficient nature of that approach. The Knicks did underperform from the three point range and that will hurt, while the bench players did not produce on the Offensive side of the court to back up the starters.
Despite the defeat, the Knicks should feel like this is a Series they can still regain some control.
Atlanta will feel pretty confident too after escaping with the Series level at 1-1 after an inefficient shooting day from the three point range of their own. They did get a boost from the bench and it does feel like those second unit players could make the difference in the Series, while the Hawks will continue to try and clog up the lanes and force Jalen Brunson to shoot from the three point arc.
Being back at home is a huge boost for the Atlanta Hawks and the crowd should give them that intensity and drive that could see the lower Seed come through.
However, it still feels like the Knicks are the better team and they are one poor Quarter away from being in a really strong spot- experience should see New York come out with more in this Game 3 as they look to rally and take back home court immediately, while the road teams have been in a decent spot in Game 3 of recent First Round Series.
A narrow loss feels like a huge blow, but teams who have lost by less than 4 points have bounced back really well in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs. They are 40-22-2 against the spread in the next game played, while those numbers becomes 24-10-2 against the spread if the next game has a small spread to deal with.
Home teams trying to back up a win have struggled in the last three years, while home teams in Game 3 have really struggled when set as the underdog or as narrow home favourites or less than 4.5 points. These all apply to this Game 3 and the New York Knicks have won a big road game in Atlanta earlier this month in the regular season to give them an idea of what to expect as they perhaps pull out another close win here.
Prediction
These teams are beginning to show something of a dislike of one another and another battle is expected with the road team doing just enough to edge back into the First Round Series lead.
The Pick :
Atlanta Hawks 104-109 New York Knicks
