NBA Free
Pick | Hawks at Knicks
It’s the
one series in the Eastern Conference that oddsmakers are unsure of. Both
Atlanta and New York are given -110 odds to advance to Round 2. So who wins
Game 1 on Sunday?
If the
regular season series has anything to do with it, there is a clear-cut
favorite. The key in Game 1, and the rest of the series for that matter, likely
comes down to the play of the Knicks’ Julius Randle.
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Game:
Atlanta Hawks (41-31, 39-32-1 ATS) at New York Knicks (41-31, 45-26-1 ATS)
When:
7:00 PM ET, Sunday, May 23, 2021
Where:
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Current
Line: NYK -1 Total:
215
TV Coverage:
TNT
Can He
Shoulder the Load?
In three
games this season, Randle averaged 37.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.
The Knicks won all three games and covered the spread in all three.
Surprisingly, New York was an underdog in all three regular season games.
The Knicks
finished the regular season as the NBA’s best team against the spread with a
record of 45-26-1. Favored by a single point at home in Game 1, it will be hard
not to back the Knicks.
Consider
how well New York has played at home this season. The Knicks went 25-11 at
Madison Square Garden this season. At home, New York was 22-13-1 ATS, but
taking it a step further the Knicks were a league-best 13-4 ATS when playing at
home as the favorite.
Spreading
it Around
While
Randle is the key for New York, the Knicks are not a one-man show. R.J. Barrett
averages 17.6 points a game and Derrick Rose has been outstanding over the
latter half of the season. Rose is averaging just shy of 15 points per game and
scored 24-points-plus in four of six games late in the season.
Need
another freebie? Check out our Celtics
at Nets betting preview and pick.
The other
key for the Knicks is head coach Tom Thibodeau’s defense. The Knicks finished
No.1 in a number of defensive statistical categories, most importantly points
allowed per game. New York gave up 104.7 points per game, a full two points
better than the No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers.
The Knicks
were No. 1 in opponent shooting percentage (44.0%) which is going to come into
play in Game 1 (and the series) as New York must defend Atlanta’s Trae Young.
The Hawks point guard is one of the more dynamic creators in the league. Young
averaged 25.3 points and dished out 9.4 assists a game this season.
Hawks at
Knicks NBA Free Pick
In the
three games against the Knicks this year, Young played well. After looking at
the NBA
basketball scores, you’ll see he had 31 points and
14 assists in the first game, 23 and 8 in the second, and then missed the
fourth quarter and overtime in the third game. He finished with 20 points and
14 assists.
In each of
those three games, the Hawks were down at least one key player. That could be
the case again on Sunday as Danillo Gallinari, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic,
Kevin Huerter, and Kris Dunn are all listed as questionable.
Regardless,
the Knicks are at home in a playoff Game 1 for the first time in a while. They
have the best player in the series and a defense that can defend the Hawks
three-point shooters. Take the Knicks to win Game 1 by at least a bucket to
cover. Do some line
shopping for this one, I’ve seen the line vary at
online sportsbooks.
HAWKS AT
KNICKS FREE PICK: KNICKS -1
Coach had
the Trail Blazers in the race to 20 points in his last pick, go check out his Trail
Blazers at Celtics free pick.