The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks played arguably the most exciting Game 1 this weekend to kick off the NBA playoffs. Trae Young (32 points) came through in the fourth quarter to lead the Hawks to their first win of the season against New York.
Wednesday, May 26, 2021 – 07:30 PM EDT at Madison Square Garden
New York is a 2-point favorite at many top sportsbooks. The Knicks are 4-4 in their last eight games and failed to score 110 points in regulation in each contest. Can Julius Randle get it going to even the series or will Young lead the Hawks to a 2-0 lead going back to Atlanta?
On Tuesday night, Julius Randle was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season. His strong season put the Knicks in this position as the No. 4 seed, but Game 1 against Atlanta did not go well as a playoff debut for Randle, who has run hot and cold this season when it comes to shooting.
Randle was a beast in the regular season against the Hawks, leading the Knicks to a 3-0 record and posting two of his three 40-point games. Randle averaged 37.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game against the Hawks while shooting 58.1% from the field.
On Sunday, Randle was only 6-of-23 (26.1%) from the field, his fourth-worst shooting game of the season. He scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds, but it was not enough for the Knicks, who only scored 16 points in the first quarter in a slow start.
Meanwhile, Trae Young’s playoff debut was very impressive with 32 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter plus the game-winning shot in the final second. He also added 10 assists and seven rebounds.
On a day where the refs mostly swallowed their whistles, Young was about the only Atlanta player willing to be aggressive and drive to the basket. He had nine of the team’s 12 free throw attempts, and that number of attempts was the second fewest in a game for the Hawks this season.
Young only shot 36.2% against New York in the regular season as the Knicks finished No. 1 in opponent FG% (44.0%). But he was excellent in Game 1 and certainly got the better of the star matchup with Randle, a reversal from what happened in the three regular-season games won by the Knicks.
While the play of the stars should largely determine this series’ outcome, let’s briefly review the other standout players from Game 1.
Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic (18 points) was a plus-17 in the box score to lead all players as he hit four three pointers. That has been his specialty as he is shooting a career-high 43.8% from three in his first season with Atlanta.
Overall, Atlanta has not shot the three well against New York’s No. 1 three-point defense this season, never topping 36% in any of the four meetings. In fact, Atlanta has finished exactly 12-of-34 (35.3%) from three in each of the last two meetings with the Knicks.
On the other side, New York reserve Alec Burks nearly stole all the headlines with a fourth quarter performance that might have led to a Spike Lee film about him had the Knicks pulled out the win. Burks scored 18 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as he was seemingly going to put the Knicks on his back before Young closed the game out for Atlanta. Burks has had 12 games with 20 points for the Knicks this season, so he can be a productive scorer when given the chance, but expectations should be for him to cool down in Game 2, making it more important for Randle to show up big.
New York’s bench scored 64 of the 105 points on Sunday and could prove to be crucial in this series. Beyond Burks, veteran Derrick Rose looked very good in the big moments with a game-tying basket before Young’s winner, and he finished with 17 points and five assists. While the game obviously went to overtime, it was the second-most minutes (37:44) Rose logged in a game all season and he should see the court more.
If Game 1 was any indication, then this could be a great series with plenty of close finishes. I am a big believer in bounce-back games for the home team after a Game 1 loss, and the Knicks were 13-5 ATS as a home favorite at Madison Square Garden this season. They also were the only NBA team to cover over 60% of the time in all games, so the Knicks have been the best bet of the season.
For my NBA picks, I will trust Randle to have a better shooting night and lead the Knicks to a series-evening win on Wednesday night.
NBA Pick: Knicks -2 (-110) at Bovada