The New York Knicks are preparing to face off against the Atlanta Hawks for Game 2 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Before the game, the Knicks got some surprising good news that might not impact their game or series against Atlanta, but bodes well for the future.
The NBA recently broke tiebreakers between teams for the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, and while much of the news was highlighted on the teams set to pick in the lottery (top 14), hidden in the league’s announcement was some good news for the Knicks.
New York hasn’t drafted very highly over the past few years since Jalen Brunson joined the team, and they’ve become a playoff contender, but for the 2026 NBA Draft, the Knicks will be picking a bit higher than initially thought.
Knicks Get Great News, Win Draft Tiebreaker vs Lakers
The Knicks won the NBA draft order tiebreaker between them and the Los Angeles Lakers, now set to pick 24th in the upcoming draft instead of 25th.
New York and Los Angeles finished with the same 53-29 record in the regular season, but after the league’s official announcement, the Knicks came out on top.
“Knicks win tiebreaker with Lakers, will have the No. 24 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft,” team insider Ian Begley wrote on X.
The Knicks haven’t had a lottery pick since 2022 when they took Ousmane Dieng 11th overall. New York doesn’t have the best recent draft history, as all of their starting lineup has arrived in their a trade or free agency, but still, moving up just a little bit is good news for a team that could always use a bit more young talent.
In a recent NBA mock draft by CBS Sports, the Knicks took Dailyn Swain from the University of Texas at 24th. They’ve also been predicted to Patrick Ngongba from Duke, according to Sports Illustrated, and per Bleacher Report, Ebuka Okorie from Stanford.
Regardless, the draft is in a few months, and the Knicks have a postseason to focus on before then.
Knicks Vs Hawks Game 2 First Round NBA Playoffs
New York beat Atlanta in Game 1 of the series 113-102. This was a series that was expected to be close and with upset potential, according to many insiders, and while it’s not as though the Knicks had a straightforward win, they looked relatively strong throughout.
Now, heading into Game 2, the Knicks hope to take a 2-0 series lead as they’ll then go to Atlanta for Game 3.
New York likely won’t be without any of their key contributors, as though OG Anunoby is listed on the injury report as probable, he is expected to play. The Hawks have Jock Landale listed as out, while Onyeka Okongwu remains questionable.
The two man game between Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns remains the biggest focus for the Knicks in this series. After Game 1, Brunson said that the chemistry between the two is still growing.
“The longer we’re on the court together, our chemistry is better,” Brunson said. “We’ve grown as teammates, we’ve grown as friends, and it contributed to the way we’re playing.”
Despite many predicting the Hawks to win the series, the Knicks are still the expected favorites, and that remains the case heading into Game 2 at Madison Square Garden
Knicks Get Unexpected Good News Before Game 2 Of Playoffs Vs Hawks