Knicks Hawks betting
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks will meet on Wednesday night in a battle between two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.

The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks are well out of the playoff picture, but they meet for a rubber match on Wednesday night. Pride is the only thing left for these teams to play for and expect both sides to come out firing.

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Both teams are among the worst of the worst in the Eastern Conference with the Knicks (20-45) actually holding a slight edge over the Atlanta Hawks (20-46) in the standings.

With that said, the Hawks have the best player in this game without a doubt. Trae Young is one of the most electric playmakers in the NBA and his improvement from his rookie year to now has been nothing short of incredible. However, Young’s brilliance still isn’t enough to make the Hawks a very competitive team in the grand scheme of things.

In the first meeting between these two, the Knicks annihilated the Hawks in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd. Young put up 42 points and eight assists, mostly when the game was way out of reach.

The rematch took place in Atlanta and the home team outlasted New York in double overtime. Again, Young filled up the stat sheet with 48 points and 13 assists in just under 48 minutes.

With the Knicks playing for the second time in two nights, fatigue is always a concern for bettors. The fact that New York is 1-7 on the second leg of back-to-backs this season won’t give anyone much confidence in the orange and blue either.

Knicks vs. Hawks Odds

 SpreadMoneylineTotal
Knicks+5+170232.5
Hawks-5-210232.5

Bets We Like With a Knicks Win

Under 232.5 (-108)

If you think the Knicks are going to bounce back after Tuesday’s loss to the Washington Wizards, hit that under. Sure, the Hawks put up 143 points against the Hornets on Monday, but in their three previous games—all losses—they averaged just over 100 points per game.

If the Knicks can shore up the defense and keep the Hawks to around 100 points, it bodes well for their chances at securing the victory.

Bets We Like With a Hawks Win

Hawks -9.5 (+175)

Let’s get a little bit crazy with an alternate point spread, shall we? Of the Knicks’ 45 losses this season, 21 have come by double-digits. New York has a knack for losing by wide margins. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Knicks could be vulnerable to another let-down performance.

Now, the danger with this bet is that the Hawks are as inconsistent as it gets, but they have been steadily improving as the season progresses. Atlanta is 10-12 in their last 22 games.

Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

Player to score first FG of the game — Trae Young (+500)

Is this one that needs much explanation? Trae Young is fourth in the NBA in field goals attempted, trailing only James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Donovan Mitchell. There’s a solid chance he ends up starting the night off with a bucket for Atlanta.

In that case, there’s money to be made on Young knocking down one shot. It’s a hell of a way to start off the game with some easy money.

Knicks vs. Hawks prediction

This is one of those “would you rather?” types of NBA games. Neither choice is all that enticing, but someone has to win on Wednesday, right?

The smart money is on the Hawks considering the fact that the Knicks are so dreadful on the second nights of back-to-backs. Again, the Hawks are far from a “safe bet” because they struggle at home (6-27), but Atlanta is the hotter team right now.

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NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.