Category: NBA

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

New York Knicks fans have already started trash-talking their potential Round 2 opponent, but they seem to be forgetting there’s still at least one more game against the Atlanta Hawks.

My Knicks vs. Hawks predictions aren't punching New York’s ticket just yet. Even with Karl-Anthony Towns stuffing the stat sheet, Atlanta could fight to see another day, especially if C.J. McCollum regains his form at State Farm Arena.

Here are my best NBA picks for Thursday, April 30.

Our best Knicks vs Hawks SGP for Game 6

SGP leg #1: Hawks +2

The Atlanta Hawks looked bad in their Game 5 beatdown. With their backs against the wall, the Hawks return home, where they’ve been a tough team all year.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks haven’t had the same success shooting on the road and have been a poor bet when laying points away from home, going 10-19 ATS as road chalk this season.

SGP leg #2: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 22.5 points + assists

Karl-Anthony Towns scored a quick 14 points in the opening half of Game 5, then cruised to the finish line, adding just two more over the final two quarters of the blowout.

The 7-footer not only has a scoring edge against the smaller Hawks, but he’s been a conduit for New York’s schemes, setting up his teammates for easy looks from the high post. 

KAT has dished out 16 total assists over the past two contests.

SGP leg #3: C.J. McCollum Over 2.5 threes

C.J. McCollum knocked down nine triples in the first three games of this series before going cold from deep, shooting 0-for-6 from beyond the arc over the last two outings.

He’s also a noticeably better shooter at home, converting at a 40% clip compared to 34% on the road.

Player projections lean toward C.J. sinking three triples in a must-win matchup for the Hawks.

Covers NBA betting tools

• NBA odds
• NBA picks
• NBA player props
• Best NBA betting sites
• Today’s NBA matchups

See our full Knicks vs Hawks Game 6 preview

Get Jason Logan's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Knicks vs Hawks predictions for Game 6.

More Covers NBA Playoff content

NBA Championship odds

Stay up-to-date with the latest NBA Championship odds for each remaining team, as well as NBA title splits, betting trends, and the previous list of teams that have won the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

NBA Finals MVP odds

See what the current line movement and updates are in the NBA Finals MVP odds race, along with Finals MVP betting trends, favorite analysis, and recent superstars to receive this award.

Live NBA Playoff bracket

Never lose track of where each series sits with our live NBA Playoff bracket, as well as the updated prices for each team to win their respective series — round by round. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The NBA has circulated a singular proposal for draft lottery reform to every team’s general managers, according to a report by ESPN’s Shams Charania. The league floated three disparate proposals back in March, but appears to have coalesced around one extremely complicated proposal. It’s worth noting that the NBA Player’s Association countered the league suggestions with a much simpler proposal that tied revenue sharing with winning, but the league office unsurprisingly has taken no action to pursue that approach.

Instead, the proposal would expand the lottery to include 16 teams, comprising the 10 teams that miss the Play-In Tournament, the two losers of each conference’s 7-8 play-in matchup, and the four 9-10 seeds. Rather than giving the most lottery balls to the worst teams, the system would instead most heavily favor teams with the 4th through 10th worst records in the league.

Teams that finished with the three worst records would each receive two lottery balls and could not fall below the 12th pick. Teams that finished 4-10 would receive three lottery balls. The 9-10 seeds would receive two lottery balls. The loser of the 7-8 play-in game would receive one lottery ball. Most impactfully, the lottery would be drawn for all 16 picks (as opposed to the current system that only picks the top-four before going in reverse standings order).

The reform also would not allow the same team to receive the first overall pick in back-to-back years, would not allow any team from receiving a top-five pick in three consecutive years, and would not allow teams to protect picks in the 12-15 range.

What do you think about this proposal?

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Houston Rockets will look to stave off elimination once more as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 tonight.

We break down Kalshi’s win probability markets and deliver some Lakers vs. Rockets predictions to help guide your NBA picks for Wednesday, April 29.

Who will win Rockets vs Lakers Game 5?

Rockets win probability:63% (-170)
Lakers win probability:38% (+163)

For the first time in this series, Houston is no longer the favorite, with Los Angeles trading at 63¢ to prevail at home and advance to the second round.

Our prediction:Rockets to win

"A few wins, home court, and the promise of Austin Reaves’ return have flipped the script on this series, but I’m not counting out the Rockets just yet. Houston’s defense has improved greatly over the past six quarters, and I think there’s value in them stealing a victory in L.A."

Read more in Jason Logan's full Rockets vs. Lakers predictions.

More Rockets vs Lakers prediction markets

You're certainly not limited to the main game outcome for Rockets vs. Lakers at Kalshi; you also have options to trade on the spread, total, and more, among other NBA odds markets.

You can buy either side of a market — for example, "Yes" on the Lakers -3.5 spread means the Lakers will cover, while "No" means the Rockets will cover — with each side priced based on the implied probability (which can be converted to American, Decimal, or Fraction odds using the Covers odds converter).

Rockets vs Lakers spread and total at prediction markets

Our predictions:Lakers -3.5 — No

"The Rockets' offense has been a mess with Kevin Durant in and out, but Houston decided to get it done with defense in Game 4, and this team has looked much stronger on that side of the ball over the past six quarters. Those stops and turnovers translated into easy buckets, and desperation keeps things close on Wednesday."

Other Rockets vs Lakers prediction markets available

• Alperen Sengun 25+ points (Yes: 41¢)
• LeBron James 8+ assists (Yes: 56¢)
• Amen Thompson 8+ rebounds (Yes: 48¢)

What is Kalshi and how does it work?

Kalshi is a federally regulated U.S. exchange where you trade directly on the outcome of real-world future events. Instead of traditional bets, you trade "Event Contracts," which are simple Yes/No questions like "Will the Lakers win tonight?" These events are priced between $0.01 and $0.99, and the prices reflect the market’s estimated probability of that event occurring. For instance, $0.55 equals a 55% chance. If your prediction is correct, the contract pays out exactly $1.00; if not, it settles at $0. Kalshi is essentially a stock market for reality.

How does Kalshi differ from sportsbooks?

In a sportsbook, you bet against the bookmaker, who sets fixed odds and takes a "vig," which is a kind of commission. On Kalshi, you trade against other users. This peer-to-peer model means prices are driven by supply and demand, often resulting in fairer odds. Additionally, because these are financial derivatives, you can exit your position early. If your team takes a 14-point lead, the contract price will rise, allowing you to sell your "Yes" shares for a profit before the final whistle even blows.

Why should I wager on Rockets vs Lakers at Kalshi?

Kalshi offers four unique advantages over traditional sportsbooks:

1. Flexibility: Unlike a "locked-in" bet, you can sell your contract at any time.
   
   
2. Transparency: You trade against other users, which can allow you to find better value.
   
   
3. Federal regulation: As a CFTC-regulated exchange, your funds are held in a secure, transparent environment.
   
   
4. Availability: Kalshi is available in 49 states (excluding Nevada) and D.C., including many regions where traditional sportsbooks aren't yet legal.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

When news of Kevin Durant’s initial knee injury first released, the Houston Rockets made the injury out to be a relatively minor thing. In fact, we didn’t even hear about the injury until Friday – one day before Game 1 of the Rockets’ series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Rockets coach Ime Udoka stated that he believed the injury would just be a one-day type of thing. Durant was given a questionable tag heading into the game.

He ultimately warmed up and did a shootaround, realizing he didn’t quite have the mobility to give it a go. Durant played in Game 2, scoring 23 points (20 in the first half) but suffered an additional injury, this time to his ankle. Which meant we’d have to go through the same uncertainty all over again, regarding Game 3. Durant was ultimately a scratch. He didn’t even sit with the team during the game, because he was getting treatment on the underwater treadmill (according to Rockets coach Ime Udoka).

Durant received around the clock treatment on the injured ankle but still missed Game 4. People have been coming out in droves to question the severity of Durant’s injury. Others have questioned whether Durant is injured at all.

Both factions look incredibly foolish, for a multitude of reasons. For starters, you can never question someone’s injury. It’s their body. They would know what they are feeling better than outsiders.

Especially in a situation in which team trainers are leaving it up to the athlete. But also, what reason would Durant have to mail it in? If he was going to do that, why play 78 games – his most in nearly a decade? Why pace the league in minutes in his 19^th official season?

(Durant finished second in total minutes and third in minutes per game). If Durant was going to mail it in, it would seem like he would’ve done that much earlier in the season and load managed more. Durant was well ahead of the league’s 65-game participation mandate.

He could have (and would have) rested then, if that was his goal.

Furthermore, why play in Game 2 at all? Even more, why come to the Rockets in the first place, if he was going to fake an injury during the playoffs?

Again, it’s illogical to think Durant is faking an injury. Especially if you saw the play and saw his ankle turn so significantly that it touched the hardwood. I’d imagine it’s probably difficult to walk, based on how bad that looked.

Perhaps people just need something to talk about. But even then, there are a litany of other storylines to hit on. This one just seems silly.

BOSTON — To say that Tuesday’s Game 5 between the Celtics and 76ers was ugly is a massive understatement.

The Celtics missed 14 consecutive field goals to close out the game, got outscored by 17 points in the fourth quarter, and watched their own fans file out with several minutes left in the ball game.

A series that appeared over early in the third quarter was suddenly headed back to Philadelphia, with most of the momentum on the 76ers’ side.

And, Joel Embiid lookes eager to deliver to turn the season around; he exploded for 33 points in Game 5, 18 of which came in the second half on 7-10 shooting.

“Give him credit, he played well,” Jayson Tatum said. “He put a lot of pressure on us especially on the defensive end. We’ll go back and watch the film and make some adjustments and be ready for Game 6.”

Philadelphia is 0-2 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in these playoffs, and will be desperate (and fully healthy) when they host Game 6 on Thursday night.

“Our fans deserve a win at home,” Tyrese Maxey said after the 76ers’ 113-97 defeat over the Celtics.

The question is: will the Celtics allow it?

On Tuesday, Boston didn’t play with the attention to detail required to put away a good team on the brink of elimination. They led by 13 points with 10 minutes to play in the third quarter, but were outscored 63-26 the rest of the way.

“I thought we had a decent first half,” Payton Pritchard said. “I just think we were just a little lackadaisical at times when we could have put them away. We just messed around with the game. And when you have a team on the brink of elimination, you’ve really got to put your foot on the gas and finish it. I thought we’d let them have life at times that they didn’t need to.”

Jaylen Brown, who went 0-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, acknowledged the Celtics had to deal with adversity with better than they did. Outside of Sam Hauser, who went 2-3 from three in the fourth, the rest of the Celtics roster combined to shoot 1-19 from the field in the period.

Sean Grande, the Celtics’ play-by-play radio broadcaster, broke down why Tuesday’s second-half was, according to the numbers, the worst half of the year.

The Celtics allowed 1.452 points per possession, which ranked 172nd of 174 halves this year. They scored 0.881 points per possession, which ranked 166th. Their net rating? .0571 points per possession, which ranked 174th of 174 halves played.

In other words, they played their worst basketball of the season at the absolute worst time, with the chance to put away a 76ers team that was fully healthy for the first time in months.

“Just got to be better,” Brown said. “Got to be better. It’s not always going to go your way, so just be able to handle that and respond with maturity, and be able to score the ball, make plays for others, etc., even when the rhythm is maybe not flowing in our direction. I feel like tonight, we had a chance to win and pull away. We were up 13, and we didn’t take advantage of it. So we’re all to blame. We’ve just got to watch it and respond and get better and move forward.”

But, the reality is that while fans can sulk about the loss for the next 48 hours, the Celtics have to turn the page. They’re still in control of the series, but Philadelphia is fully healthy and fresh off some of their best basketball of the year.

“Just take a deep breath, relax and get ready to go,” Brown said. “Just have the right mentality and come out and execute your job. No need to put any extra pressure on ourselves. It’s already enough of that as it is. So, just come out and play basketball and play the right way. I think that’s what our mindset is, and that’s what we’ve got to do going forward.”

The G.O.A.T. debate in pro basketball will never end, as most hoops experts have narrowed the list down to two players: Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

James was asked about the debate and Jordan's influence on his game.

"I never have compared myself to MJ because our games are totally different," James said to ESPN.com. "I have been a point-forward/forward-point my whole life. I have always looked for the pass. MJ kind of looked for the shot. Not kind of, he did. He looked for the shot.

"There are a lot of things where I would say my game is a lot different and a little better than his, but (expletive), he was (expletive) great. We're both great. We're both great basketball players."

The clock is ticking on the Detroit Pistons’ 2025-26 season much earlier than anticipated. Detroit faces elimination against an imposing Orlando Magic defense and, frankly, the Pistons’ nonchalance and self-immolation. Fun fact: the Pistons are holding Orlando to the worst field goal percentage in the NBA Playoffs and averaging nearly four more blocks per game than the next closest team. Detroit’s problem is that its field goal percentage is fourth-worst, and they are combining that poor shooting with 18.3 turnovers per game. If Detroit could get out of its own way and hit a few shots, they’d be the team up 3-1. Do I have confidence they can reverse those trends? Not really.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Prime Video
Odds: Pistons -9.5

Analysis

Look, you have to start Jalen Duren to see if he can finally break out of his offensive funk. But if he struggles again with positioning, penetration, turnovers, and general ineffectiveness, you have to pull him and pull him quickly. Detroit is out of time trying to be cute or deferential to the guys who brought them to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Because they are about to be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs that got bounced in the first round.

Cade Cunningham must get a handle on his handle and turn the corner on his penchant for careless turnovers. If Cunningham performs like has been and also cuts his turnovers by half, Detroit probably wins this game comfortably. That’s how slim the margins have been despite each feeling like such crushing defeats because Detroit is playing so far below the standard they’ve set for themselves all season.

Three positive signs for Detroit that I’ll cling to as I strap in for game 5: 1. The Pistons are playing in the frinedly confines of Little Caesars Arena. This crowd is just looking for something to cheer their heads off for, and the Pistons simply need to deliver. 2. Franz Wagner, who has played very well on both ends as a beefy wing who is adept at slowing down both Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren will at least be limited and might even sit out tonight’s game with a calf strain 3. Isaiah Stewart is playing out of his mind on the defensive end so if you sit Duren, you can be confident in his backup.

Does that mean I think the Pistons will win tonight? For me, it’s almost immaterial. The Pistons have shown in these playoffs what they are and, more importantly, what they are not. What they are not is a team that can challenge the best teams in the East for the right to go to the NBA Finals. That’s not too different than the POV I had entering the playoffs so the best I can say is that it should be an interesting offseason. A first-round win at least represents marginal progress from last year and gets yet another long-running streak off their ledger. It’d be nice. I’m rooting for nice and expecting … not that.

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (1-3)

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Orlando Magic (3-1)

Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner (questionable), Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

Question of the Game

Do you think Caris LeVert can save Detroit’s season?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the biggest surprises of the NBA postseason. Despite the absence of two of their biggest stars in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers got out to a 3-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets in the opening playoff round.

The team leaned on Herculean efforts from LeBron James, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart to secure those wins, bringing LA to the brink of advancing to the second round. After all, no team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit.

While the Lakers lost Game 4, preventing a sweep, the team still has three opportunities to put Houston away. And those opportunities might get easier if either Reaves or Doncic can return.

With Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday night, here is the latest injury information on Doncic and Reaves.

The Atlanta Hawks dropped a pivotal Game 5 as they fell to a convincing 126-97 defeat to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 18 points, while Dyson Daniels added 17 points. For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson scored 39 points with OG Anunoby adding 17 points.

The Hawks — having come off of a heavy home loss in Game 4 — needed to begin Game 5 with intent, to let the Knicks know that Game 5 was not going to be a repeat of Game 4. Atlanta brought physicality in the opening stint, pressing up to the ball and getting physical, with Daniels in particular getting involved on both ends.

The Knicks also brought their defensive intensity; they just made the Hawks work so hard on offense so often of the time in the first half, which was really the defining element of this game when viewed from afar.

On a drive near the end of the shot clock, Daniels is contested well at the rim as he tries to get to a spin and layup:

Jalen Johnson struggled to get his halfcourt offense going, missing this bank shot on the drive:

On a drive against Karl-Anthony Towns, Johnson tries to get inside again but is emphatically blocked:

Coming off of a Gabe Vincent screen, CJ McCollum gets the jump on Brunson, but the Knicks defend it well as Anunoby steps up to contest the shot:

Here, Johnson sees an extra body on the ball, is forced to give the ball up to Daniels, who finds Okongwu, who has to go to a spin and hook move as the clock begins to wind down:

Contrast this to the Knicks, who enjoyed some very easy baskets in comparison in the first half.

At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks double Brunson out front but half-commit to it, and when Brunson slips the pass in between Daniels and McCollum to the cutting Jordan Clarkson, he’s so wide open he almost has too much time to think before getting into his floater:

A screen from Towns on Gabe Vincent is not communicated, allowing Josh Hart to wander in and score at the rim:

These particular lapses are regular season blunders; they’re just unacceptable baskets to allow in Game 5 of a playoff series tied 2-2. While they are the greatest offenders, they weren’t the only easy baskets the Knicks scored.

Brunson torched the Hawks all night long and the Hawks certainly helped him at times. Here in transition, Brunson bursts in transition but poor help defense from Jonathan Kuminga allows Brunson to get all the way to the rim for the basket:

A great find from Towns — and no help in behind for the Hawks — allows Brunson an easy finish at the rim:

Towns himself finished with 16 points but only took seven shots, most of which came in the first half where he, too, had an easy time of scoring, particularly against Kuminga, both in terms of just shooting over him:

And getting to the rim:

The Knicks ran out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, scoring 35 points 65% shooting while the Hawks shot 1-of-8 from three — a consistent struggle all night long from behind the arc. While the Knicks only outscored the Hawks by three points in the second quarter, the Hawks, I thought, did not take this second quarter seriously enough from a rotation point of view.

The lineup to start the second half was poor, and the Knicks’ second unit completely outplayed the Hawks’. While the final scoring margin of the benches was 38-24 in favor of the Knicks, it sure felt like the Knicks’ advantage was much wider than that, as Jose Alvarado, Mitchell Robinson, and Jordan Clarkson outplayed Atlanta’s bench. Kuminga, in particular, was bad: bad shot-making, bad shot selection, and consistent foul-baiting that is just not likely to get called on the road.

The Knicks ran their lead to 20 in the second quarter and, really, never looked back from here. Never again did the lead drop below double-digits, nor were the Knicks particularly threatened at any point in the second half as Brunson took over, scoring 22 of his 39 points. It really was as easy as that for the New Yorks, who take a 3-2 series lead with the Hawks’ season now on the line, facing elimination in Game 6 in Atlanta.

Postgame, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder directed attention to the Knicks’ defense limiting the Hawks while acknowledging the Hawks needed to do more to overcome the Knicks’ defense, believing the Hawks didn’t play to the level they needed to.

“They did what they were supposed to do, protect at home court,” began Snyder postgame. “Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them. It’s really like imposing your will on the offensive end, really moving and passing. You can feel possessions where that occurs, and that’s when we’re efficient or have success. We had some shots that didn’t go in, that’s always in play. For us, I think we need to execute on who we are and what we’ve done to be a good team. That’s hard when you play against a team of their caliber, but that level for us, we didn’t hit it. They had a lot to do with that, but that can’t be where it stops. We’ve got to be more committed to that and to playing the way that we know we need to play to be successful, and we get a chance to go home and do that.”

The Hawks were asked about the Knicks’ physicality, and similarly acknowledged that they needed to find a way to get around this.

“We got smashed tonight, but we still got a chance,” said Dyson Daniels. “It’s 3-2, we’re going home to protect our home court. We’ve got to be better, we got to come out, we got to be more physical, we got to play harder. They came in and just manhandled us, so we’re going to have to really, change some things around if we want to, you know, get Game 6.”

“We just got to play through it,” added Onyeka Okongwu of playing through physicality. “We can’t let their physicality take us out of what we want to do. We’ve just got to move the ball more. We’re not really playing like ourselves, we’re not running, we’re not moving the ball, we’re not spacing. The things that we did to get us to this point of the year we’re not doing well enough. We have to do that on Thursday, or our season will be over.”

Similar to Okongwu, Daniels also referenced that the Hawks just haven’t been able to play to their strengths in this series. For instance, the Hawks only scored four fastbreak points in Game 5 having finished third in the regular season with 18.1 fastbreak points per game.

“I don’t think we played anywhere near our best basketball at all this series,” said Daniels. “…We want to play fast, but you can’t play fast when we put them on the free throw line and we’re not getting stops. We’ve got to be better at getting stops, keeping them off the free throw line, and then we just got to have the mindset to run. Everyone’s got to run. If you have four guys running and one guy doesn’t, that hurts you as well. So, five guys got to run, got to space. Like I said, we haven’t played to our strengths this series, and I don’t think we’ve had a game where we’ve had a good fastbreak, got a lot of fastbreak points. So, credit to them as well, they’ve taken that away from us, but it’s something that we need to do.”

The Hawks finished fifth in the NBA in three-point percentage, but shot just 13-of-42 from three in Game 5. There were plenty of very makable shots the Hawks missed from distance, but on a night where the Hawks weren’t succeeding in getting out in transition for threes, where the Knicks limited their turnovers to also prevent fastbreak scoring, and a lack of free throw shooting (shooting 10-of-17 from the line), the Hawks paid a dear price for missing their threes.

Looking across the roster, CJ McCollum retuned to Earth with six points on 3-of-10 shooting, and while he has been the star for the Hawks in this series, their success in this series is dependent on the scoring success of Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 18 points, but really struggled to get going offensively in the half-court, and shot 1-of-5 from three. Alexander-Walker had a good third quarter and shot good percentages (6-of-11 from the field, 4-of-9 from three). It just wasn’t enough. That’s the sentiment I think actually applies across the board here, because the percentages for the starters, minus McCollum, are actually solid — there just wasn’t enough of it.

“I think for us, we can get kind of caught up in individual performances,” said Snyder when asked about other stepping up as McCollum returns to Earth. “You always need those, but we need to look at kind of our collective, look at it collectively. Everybody needs to make plays for each other. When we’re playing well, that’s what it looks like. CJ’s a competitor, but it’s us, and our guys have embraced that throughout the course of the year. When you play a really good team, they have an impact on your ability to do that. Whether last game it was us turning the ball over, tonight our ability to space and make an extra pass, and those things that generate better shots.”

From the Knicks’ side, it was a familiar story: 60 points in the paint, 20 second chance points, and big free throw disparity, shooting 25-of-34 from the line.

“Their size and athleticism, when they get the ball in there it’s difficult defensively to have an impact,” said Snyder of the Knicks’ paint scoring. “We just need to build a better perimeter, if that makes sense. Whether it’s double teaming a certain situation, where there’s a mismatch or a size mismatch, but the physicality that we have to play with defensively, really as much as anything, on the glass. We got to dig and scratch and claw and be better.”

The Hawks have done well to make this series and take the 2-1 lead, but this game was a microcosm for everything the Hawks should have feared heading into this series.

Jalen Brunson dominated, scoring 39 points on 15-of-23 from the field, absolutely dominating his matchups with Alexander-Walker and Daniels. There was nothing any of them could do. Brunson was getting to the rim, getting into his pull-up — everything that he did so well in the regular season series. Massive volume, massive efficiency, and just no answers for the Hawks. McCollum is the reason the Hawks even have two wins in this series, and for that he deserves a lot of credit, but this type of disparity between he and Brunson was what concerned me heading into the series.

Towns took seven shots in this game — it blows my mind how little either the Knicks don’t go to him more given his mismatches/advantages, or how Towns himself doesn’t just demand the ball and just shoot over Daniels, or put him in the spin cycle going to the rim. Towns still finished with 16 points and was dominant in that first quarter where the Knicks broke away whilst also grabbing 14 rebounds.

The Knicks’ bench completely outplayed the Hawks’ bench as referenced earlier. Guys like Alvarado, Robinson, and Clarkson comprehensively outperformed Atlanta’s bench.

This was a bad Kuminga game, and we talked about it heading into the series. He had to be the swing guy off the bench in this series for the Hawks to have success. In the two wins for the Hawks in this series, Kuminga has averaged 20 points on 61% shooting from the field and 37% from three on over four attempts. In the three losses, Kuminga has averaged 10 points per game on 37% shooting from the field and 7% from three on over four attempts per game. His performances are really important for the Hawks, and last night was not a good one. Not that he was helped by his bench compatriots: Vincent struggled to hit shots, Corey Kispert missed all four of his shots, and Tony Bradley is left even further alone than the Knicks left Dyson Daniels.

Speaking of, the Knicks were happy to let Daniels handle as much as possible. While Daniels scored 17 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-4 from three, it’s hard to escape the thought that that’s exactly what the Knicks wanted. The same issues still exist: Daniels is still played off of, left alone from three, allows Towns to guard Daniels and hover around the rim.

And there’s nothing the Hawks can really do about it, and what Daniels did is an improvement from earlier in the series where he wasn’t scoring and just handing the ball off and screening — it’s just a fundamental aspect baked into this series that the Knicks can take advantage of every game. More Daniels means less Johnson and less Alexander-Walker, and that’s just fine with the Knicks.

Other issues that I was concerned about heading into this series: transition offense. Teams just tend not to turn the ball over as much in the postseason, and I was concerned that this would limit the Hawks’ fastbreak opportunities, but I didn’t think it would be as low as four points in Game 5. Transition is the Hawks’ bread-and-butter: get out, run, get to the rim or kick out to a shooter for a made three — none of these things happened for the Hawks consistently in this game.

Offensive rebounds and second chance scoring…we’ve been over this issue enough — it’s just another aspect that’s baked into this series that there are no adjustments for: it’s just going to happen and all you can do is limit it. The Hawks really struggled with this, with the Knicks converting eight offensive rebounds into 20 points. From a volume standpoint, the Hawks actually did a great job to limit to just eight offensive rebounds — they just couldn’t get any stops from them.

In short, all the things the Hawks should have been worried about heading into the series all transpired — almost every single one of them. So, perhaps from that perspective the series was due a game like this, and it’s hard for all those things to occur at once, which should give the Hawks some optimism heading back home for Game 6

Game 6 is do-or-die; win or go home. The nature of these last two games should give the Hawks cause for concern, and if there’s anything in this series for Jalen Johnson or Nickeil Alexander-Walker, or any more heroics from CJ McCollum, or impactful games from Jonathan Kuminga, there is no more time remaining.

Game 6 takes place on Thursday night back at State Farm Arena.

Until next time…

The Brooklyn Nets made an early entry into the offseason. We knew it would be this way for several weeks, but it’s still a bit striking to see a bushel of teams duking it out on national television every night, and our guys cosplaying as Arthur Morgan or sitting court side with Ice Spice.

Yes, Brooklyn players did both of those things last week. The guys are already making the most of their time off, and frankly, they should be. Once the playoffs roll through, we’ll be about two weeks away from the draft and less than a month away from the start of Summer League. Time indeed flies when you’re having fun.

To at least keep tabs on everyone, we’ve put together another social media roundup, the first of this offeason. Several players took time over the past few weeks for some season recap posts. And, as mentioned, others went straight into vacation mode. Here’s what we have for you.

From Brooklyn to…

Brooklyn’s top pick in last year’s draft wasted little time getting out of Brooklyn. He’s certainly had the look of a highway man as well, recently venturing out west for some horseback riding.

Not long before that, Dëmin also went golfing with creator Noah Schone. He also visited his alma mater, where he caught ball game and appeared to get a workout in. I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but the latter has to be a good sign in terms of his left plantar fascia injury management.

However, Dëmin isn’t the only rookie on the road right now. Earlier this week, Drake Powell got out to Iceland (the thinking man’s Cancun?) Ziaire Williams asked why Powell had gloves on in the comments, where Tyrese Martin replied “knowing him prolly out there Rock climbing and shi.”

Farewell Posts

Several Nets also posted slideshows over the past two weeks bidding farewell to the 2025-26 season. Believe it or not, it’s already been three years in the NBA for Jalen Wilson…

Dëmin also posted a series of highlights and fit pics from the season. Vince Carter and Hugo González of the Boston Celtics both make an appearance.

The Nets have a club option on Malachi Smith’s contract for next year. His post reminded us how many big moments he had after getting the call up at the end of the season.

Ben Saraf did the same. Somehow his editor missed his dunk on Draymond Green, but we’ll link it here for your viewing pleasure.

In his end-of-season post, Day’Ron Sharpe wrote “Peace and blessings. Until next time.” Brooklyn has a team option on his contract this summer as well. After a career season from the now five-year NBA vet, I’m pretty confident “next time” will be back in Brooklyn.

Noah Clowney captioned his post in a similar fashion. This past year was his third in the league, and his best statistically in terms of scoring, passing, and rebounding.

Our last end-of-season reel belongs to Josh Minott. Much of it was made out of clips from his coming out game vs the New York Knicks. Next year, let’s hope he gets that sought after win against them.

Two-ways Tyson Etienne, Chaney Johnson, and E.J. Liddell all dropped end-of-season posts as well. Liddell shouted out both the Brooklyn and Long Island staff for their work with him over the course of the campaign.

“Thank you Brooklyn & Long Island for another year in this league,” he wrote. “It’s been a year full of growth & lessons that I will carry for the rest of my life. One thing I can say I learned is that through habits & discipline you forge a character rich with courage and peace.”

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Two closeout games are on tap for tonight, as the Los Angeles Lakers look to finish off the Houston Rockets and the No. 8-seeded Orlando Magic try to complete the upset with a win over the Detroit Pistons.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers look to hold serve at home after the home team won each of the first four games of the series against the Toronto Raptors.

My NBA picks cover all three games for this April 29 slate.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Paolo Banchero	Over 34.5 points + rebound + assists	-112
Donovan Mitchell	Over 27.5 points	-112
LeBron James	Over 15.5 rebounds + assists	+100

Prop #1: Paolo Banchero Over 34.5 points + rebounds + assists

-112 at bet365

Paolo Banchero shot a putrid 4-for-18 from the field in Game 4, but he still finished with 30 PRA. 

Banchero will be better offensively in Game 5, especially with Franz Wagner’s status up in the air. Given his extensive injury history this season, I expect Wagner to sit this one out.

During the regular season, Banchero averaged 32 PRA with Wagner in the lineup compared to a whopping 37.7 with him sidelined. 

The Orlando forward closed out the regular season on a high note, averaging 36.4 PRA across his final eight games. He went for 35+ four times and finished with exactly 34 once more. 

Banchero posted PRA totals of 36, 32, 46, and 30 in Games 1-4 of the series, respectively, but he was even better against the Pistons in the regular season.

In three regular-season matchups with Detroit, Banchero averaged 39.3 PRA and hit the Over on this line in every game.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Prime

Prop #2: Donovan Mitchell Over 27.5 points

-112 at bet365

Donovan Mitchell’s home-road splits were noticeable during the regular season, but they’ve been glaring in this series.

In Games 1 and 2, Mitchell averaged 31 points while shooting 55.8% from the floor and 47.1% from beyond the arc. In Games 3 and 4 at Scotiabank Arena, he totaled 35 points on a miserable 13-for-40 from the field and 5-for-17 from long distance...

The series is now a best-of-three affair, and the Cavs get two of those in Cleveland. I’ll bet on Mitchell bouncing back in front of the home crowd tonight after letting his team down in Toronto.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

Prop #3: LeBron James Over 15.5 rebounds + assists

+100 at bet365

LeBron James finished Game 4 with just 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting and 0 of 3 from 3-point range. Despite the poor offensive showing, he made an impact as a rebounder and facilitator, posting 13 rebounds + assists.

Through four games of the series, James has racked up 21, 15, 19, and 13 RA, carrying a hefty load as the team’s primary playmaker.

Austin Reaves is expected back tonight, so James’ scoring may take a hit. With Luka Doncic still sidelined, however, James should thrive in other areas.

During the regular season, James averaged 12.4 RA in games played with Doncic. In 11 games with Doncic sidelined, that number rocketed up to 17.3, and James hit the Over nine times. I expect a strong performance from the King at home in a closeout scenario.

• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Knicks have regained control of their first round playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks. 

Thanks to a combined 72 points from Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby, the Knicks had their most complete performance in a 126-97 win against the Hawks in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.

With a 3-2 series lead, New York can advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals if they win Game 6 against Atlanta on the road. 

Here are three keys to watch...

Star synergy

As the season has progressed, we’ve seen Brunson and Towns build better chemistry on the floor. 

On Tuesday night, the tandem put on a show. Brunson had his best stretch of the series, scoring 39 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter. Towns had a quieter scoring night, registering 16 points. However, 14 of those came in the first half, where the big man continued to set the tone for New York’s offense. 

Even more important was both stars' willingness to move the ball. Brunson had eight assists, and Towns had six dimes after recording a triple-double during Saturday’s win. They also took care of the ball for the most part, combining for just four turnovers.

The Hawks made the adjustment by placing elite defender Dyson Daniels on Towns instead of Brunson. But in what might be an earth-shattering revelation, Daniels can’t guard both Towns and Brunson at the same time. 

New York handled the adjustment well, letting Towns initiate the offense early on and having Brunson operate off the ball. Regardless of what adjustment Atlanta makes in Game 6, the Knicks can count on their two stars to solve it like they did in Game 5.

Containing CJ McCollum

McCollum has largely been Atlanta’s only consistent source of offense in the playoffs. Through the first four games of the first round, the veteran sage averaged 24.5 points on 51.3 percent from the field while knocking down numerous clutch shots. McCollum was held in check in Game 5, scoring just six points on 3-for-10 shooting.

New York’s defense has adjusted through this series, taking the smaller Brunson off McCollum. New York has also cut back on switches that put Brunson on the Hawks' top scorer. Instead, New York is blitzing the pick-and-roll more often and preventing McCollum from getting to his spots for easy looks.

Other Hawks like Daniels (17 points) played better offensively, but the Knicks will live with that if it takes the ball out of McCollum’s hands and keeps the Hawks under 100 points.

Dominate the paint

With a major size advantage in the frontcourt, New York has controlled the paint for most of this series. The Knicks have outscored the Hawks, 166-126, in the paint in the last three games. In Game 5, the Knicks held a 60-42 advantage in paint points, when Towns and Mitchell Robinson were dominant on the interior. 

Towns had a few post-ups throughout the game that generated good looks for him and his teammates. Robinson also had his moments, finishing a couple of lobs and scoring seven points in 16 minutes. Even more surprising was Brunson, who scored 22 points in the paint with a variety of nifty dribble drives.

With a small lineup, the Hawks don’t have much to offer in terms of rim protection. According to NBA Stats, the Hawks are giving up 55 points in the paint per 100 possessions in the postseason -- the second-highest number among all 16 playoff teams.

The aggressive focus is spilling into other categories. New York took 34 free throws on Tuesday, 17 more than the Hawks. They also won the rebounding battle, 48-27.

The Knicks' paint success has stood out in this series and should continue with another strong paint performance in Game 6.