The New York Knicks are no longer the betting favorites to beat the Atlanta Hawks and advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The Knicks, who fell into a 1-2 hole with their loss in Thursday’s Game 3, began the series as massive -300 favorites, with a 75% implied probability of beating the Hawks. Mike Brown’s team also started the 2025-26 season as the betting favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
Entering Saturday’s Game 4, the Hawks are now -130 favorites, while the Knicks have plummeted to +100 underdogs to survive the first round of the playoffs.
“The Hawks now lead the series 2-1 and have become the favorites to win it,” The Athletic’s betting expert Dan Santaromita wrote on Friday.
“The odds imply it is still nearly a coin flip, but Atlanta is favored. The Knicks are slight favorites to win Game 4, and a win would flip things back around.”
Knicks Lose Two in a Row
The Knicks trailed by 15 points at one point in the third quarter on Thursday as they struggled to score against Atlanta’s athletic wings. To their credit, they clawed back and went on a 28-21 run in the final quarter to give themselves a shot at winning on the final possession. With 12.5 seconds left, they drew up a play for Jalen Brunson, who, crowded by a sea of defenders, threw a bad pass turnover as the buzzer sounded.
ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill broke down what he saw in Game 3.
“The Atlanta Hawks are doing everything they can to make life uncomfortable for the New York Knicks, and they are succeeding. From the onset, they grabbed early leads and had the Knicks fighting from behind all night.
“The Knicks were only surviving, first with Jalen Brunson, then OG Anunoby. But it was Atlanta that was the desperate team, especially Jonathan Kuminga, who was opportunistic on offense and repeatedly getting out in the open floor. He and the Hawks sensed an opportunity and seized it. Now the Knicks are at a place they don’t like being: on the ropes.”
Knicks vs Hawks Game 4
The Knicks now face a must-win Game 4 on Saturday against a hostile Atlanta crowd. They have never bounced back from a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA playoffs and are currently 0-15 in franchise history when facing such a deficit. As such, their season could be over if they suffer another loss in less than 48 hours.
Goodwill thinks it may be time to give Miles McBride more playing time after the guard played a key role in New York’s fourth-quarter comeback on Thursday.
“More Miles McBride for the Knicks.”
“It’s clear Mikal Bridges hasn’t found his way in this series, and Mike Brown doesn’t have much patience for him right now. He was a minus-24 in 20 minutes of playing time and was pulled early in the second half, only playing a couple more minutes later. McBride hit critical 3-pointers to pull the Knicks back to within striking distance.”
Knicks vs. Hawks Game 4 tips off at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Knicks Bad News Keeps Coming After Game 3 Loss to Hawks