The Knicks and Hawks are headed into a massive Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. After dropping Game 2 at home and going down 2-1 in the series, the Knicks responded brilliantly in Game 4 to get back to even terms. It is now a best-of-three series between these teams to move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Knicks are 6.5-point home favorites, while the Hawks are +205 to pull off the upset. The over/under for the game is set at 213.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Knicks vs. Hawks preview, prediction

New York Knicks

The Knicks finally played their best basketball in their pivotal Game 4 win. It was the type of performance Knicks fans were hoping to see throughout this series. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart all played great. Even role players like Deuce McBride and Jordan Clarkson contributed some high-quality minutes. Unlike Games 2 and 3, the Knicks were not relying on Brunson to do everything. Towns, Anunoby and Brunson each scored between 19 and 22 points, evenly distributing the load offensively. The Knicks were also sharp on the defensive end of the floor, shutting down Jalen Johnson and limiting CJ McCollum. If the Knicks play like that the rest of the series, they shouldn’t lose another game.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks need a bounce-back performance here in New York. Going into the series, the Knicks were thought to be on another level in terms of depth and overall quality. However, the Hawks simply fought harder and scrapped out back-to-back wins in Games 2 and 3. Then, Game 4 looked much more like what many thought this series would be. The Knicks made all five Hawks guard, rather than just being able to focus solely on Brunson. New York also used its depth to force the Hawks to go deeper into their bench. Now, it’s the Hawks’ turn to switch things up and throw a curveball at the Knicks. First and foremost, they will need to shoot the ball much better to have any chance of winning at Madison Square Garden this time around.

Knicks vs. Hawks Pick, Best Bet

My best bet for this game is for the Knicks to cover as 6.5-point favorites. The Hawks’ two wins in this series both came by exactly one point. Meanwhile, the Knicks’ two wins came by an average of 13.5 points, both by double digits. If the Knicks play their best, they should beat the Hawks by double digits in this game. New York should have a revived energy after its big win in Game 4, and the Madison Square Garden crowd should be out of control. This is the type of game where the Hawks could panic if they are down early and let things get out of control.

The Knicks had nine players log at least 14 minutes in Game 4. Players like Mitchell Robinson, Deuce McBride, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson give the Knicks a level of depth off the bench that the Hawks simply don’t have. As it gets later into the series, that depth is only going to become more valuable as players fatigue more and more. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby should all be able to replicate their performances from Game 4 and make this another commanding Knicks win.

Best Bet: Knicks -6.5 (-110)