For the third time this season, the New York Knicks face Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, and New York is looking to avoid an 0-3 start against one of its Eastern Conference rivals.
The Hawks knocked the Knicks out of the NBA Cup earlier this season, but they find themselves as underdogs at Madison Square Garden on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
New York may be shorthanded in this matchup, as Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart are both listed as questionable. With the Knicks struggling over their last 10 games (4-6) they cannot afford to be down multiple starters against a surging Atlanta team.
The Hawks are now the No. 6 seed in the East and have won three in a row to get there.
Here’s a breakdown of this game, including the latest odds, my favorite prop bets and more on Monday, Jan. 20.
Hawks vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
- Hawks +6.5 (-115)
- Knicks -6.5 (-105)
Moneyline
- Hawks: +210
- Knicks: -258
Total
- 235.5 (Over -118/Under -102)
Hawks vs. Knicks How to Watch
- Date: Monday, Jan. 20
- Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Madison Square Garden
- How to Watch (TV): MSG, Bally Sports Southeast
- Hawks record: 22-19
- Knicks record: 27-16
Hawks vs. Knicks Injury Reports
Hawks Injury Report
- Kobe Bufkin – out
- Mouhamed Gueye – out
- Larry Nance Jr. – out
- Zaccharie Risacher – out
- Keaton Wallace – out
- Cody Zeller – out
- Trae Young – probable
- Jalen Johnson – probable
Knicks Injury Report
- Josh Hart – questionable
- Karl-Anthony Towns – questionable
- Mitchell Robinson – out
- Kevin McCullar Jr. – out
Hawks vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets
Atlanta Hawks Best NBA Prop Bet
- Jalen Johnson OVER 17.5 Points (-115)
I’m buying Hawks forward Jalen Johnson in his second game back in the lineup from an injury. Johnson played over 37 minutes in his first game back, and I’d expect yet another heavy workload against a New York team that he has fared well against.
Johnson has 21 and 23 points in his two games against New York, and he’s averaging 19.7 points per game. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him score 20-plus again tonight.
New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet
- Jalen Brunson UNDER 27.5 Points (-105)
Jalen Brunson has struggled against Atlanta and potential All-Defensive guard Dyson Daniels this season, scoring 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting and 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
If Karl-Anthony Towns suits up, Brunson should see a few less shots for New York, and I expect Atlanta to try to get the ball out of Brunson’s hands again on Monday night. Brunson is also averaging less points per game (26.0) than his prop number in this matchup.
Hawks vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick
Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I think Atlanta will cover the spread in this matchup:
The Atlanta Hawks are 2-0 against the New York Knicks this season, including an NBA Cup win at Madison Square Garden.
Yet, they are sizable underdogs on Monday night, even though the Knicks have listed Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns as questionable for this matchup. New York has really struggled since the start of the new year, going 4-6 in its last 10 games.
At home, the Knicks are just 10-9-1 against the spread as a favorite, and they recently dropped games to Minnesota and Detroit at MSG.
Meanwhile, Atlanta enters this game on a three-game winning streak, moving into the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. With Jalen Johnson back in the lineup, the Hawks are hoping to build on a solid 9-7 ATS record as a road dog this season.
If Towns and Hart don’t play, the Knicks simply lack the depth to replace them in their rotation. I’ll gladly take the points with Atlanta in a matchup it has dominated in the 2024-25 campaign.
Pick: Hawks +6.5 (-115)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hawks vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for MLK Day (Monday, Jan. 20).
