Hawks @ Knicks Prop Bets - NBA Playoffs East 1st Round - Game 1

Two unlikely teams make it into the Playoffs as the Atlanta Hawks head to New York to play the 1.5 favored Knicks.

Atlanta was plodding along at 14-20 when Lloyd Pierce was fired just before the All-Star break.  Now they are among the league's hottest teams, owning a 41-31 record.  They have won seven of their last eight games.

Much of the credit for this turnaround goes to new head coach Nate McMillan.

He joined the staff before this season and was elevated to the top post. Since then, the Hawks have been one of the NBA’s best teams with a 27-11 record, securing their first trip to the playoffs since 2017.

“You see the results,” guard Bogdan Bogdanovic said. “Coaching is a crucial part of our success. A lot of teams are talented in this league, but they’re not under control. He did that. He brought a little bit of control to this team. He helped us get our wins.”

The perennial losing New York Knicks finally have had themselves a good season.  The Knicks also own a 41-31 record.

James Harden was the final piece to a Big Three. Julius Randle is an unquestioned No. 1.

Randle is ready for the challenge, as the Knicks face Atlanta in their return to the postseason for the first time since 2013.

“The intensity level is going to rise, the level of play, everything is going to rise, so I’m going to have to be better,” Randle said. “Everybody’s going to have to be better if we want to accomplish what we want to accomplish, so I’m looking forward to that.”

He led the Knicks in points, rebounds and assists, not to mention the entire NBA in minutes.

Hawks vs. Knicks Prop Bets

Hawks @ Knicks Sun, May 23, 2021 EST

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com