Atlanta, GA
FINAL: Kentucky upsets No. 6 Duke 77-72 in Atlanta
The first high-profile matchup of the Mark Pope era ended with euphoria for the Big Blue Nation.
There were several points on Tuesday night in Atlanta when it felt like Kentucky was on the verge of being blown out by the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils. But this scrappy group of Wildcats never wavered, fighting the full 40 minutes and ultimately running Duke’s talented freshmen into the ground.
Thanks to a couple of clutch free throws by Otega Oweh and lockdown defense down the stretch on Duke’s projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, No. 19 Kentucky came out with the 77-72 win in the Champions Classic. UK led for just a little over seven minutes of game time but stepped up when the moment called for it. Both sides shot 40 percent from the field, but Kentucky’s 10-25 mark from deep (compared to 4-23 for Duke) made the difference.
Oweh was among the standouts for Kentucky, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. His stellar play in the final minutes won UK the game. Andrew Carr was arguably the most important Wildcat though with 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Nine of his points came in the second half. Amari Williams rounded out UK’s double-digit scorers with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Flagg, the uber-talented 17-year-old freshman, finished his night with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but he shot just 9-19 from the field and was hounded by Kentucky’s defenders throughout the entirety of the second half.
Duke would throw the first punch, jumping out to an immediate 4-0 lead as Kentucky looked rattled. Pope’s group of veterans would quickly settle in though. A 5-5 start from deep from beyond the arc for the Wildcats put them in front by as many as six. Flagg made his presence felt early on and was up to 12 points through the first 12 minutes of action. This was around the time that Kentucky’s halfcourt offense began to stall, made worse by a rough opening half on both ends of the floor by starting point guard Lamont Butler.
After making its first five shots from deep, Kentucky went on to miss the next eight. Duke was in the double bonus roughly 11 minutes in. A contested layup by Kon Knueppel gave the Blue Devils a six-point lead. Soon after, with 6:40 left in the first half, Flagg was tagged with his second personal foul and went to the bench. Koby Brea would end UK’s outside shooting drought thanks to a three-pointer that made it 33-29 with under five minutes until the break.
Duke would later lead by as many as 10 points before settling on the halftime score of 46-37. The Blue Devils recorded just one first-half turnover compared to seven for UK. Carr, Oweh, and Butler all had two fouls while Duke’s Flagg (2), Khaman Maluach (2), and Maliq Brown (3) were also in foul trouble. The Blue Devils were living in the paint with 26 points. Kentucky had just six. Jaxson Robinson had zero shot attempts for the ‘Cats.
Kentucky would come out of the locker room ready to fight, scoring the first five points of the second half. Duke continued to keep the Wildcats at bay, although injuries to Maluach and Sion James came at bad times. Butler, who was playing much better to start the half, finished off an and-one that got UK within three points at the under-12-minute media timeout.
That momentum was shut down immediately with a 5-0 run by Duke. But like a see-saw, back and forth we went. A couple of made layups for Kentucky made the score 61-57 in favor of the Blue Devils with 8:29 left in the game. Brandon Garrison stepped up with back-to-back buckets, bringing UK’s deficit to within two points for the first time since there was 8:23 to go in the first half.
Kentucky kept it close, refusing to let Duke go on a big run. Going into the final media timeout, Carr converted an and-one that knotted the score at 67-67. Carr would then find Oweh for a wide-open backcut that put the Wildcats in front. The Blue Devils would call a timeout down two with 2:09 left.
The lead didn’t last long. Out of the break, Flagg converted on an and-one that gave Duke the lead right back. But Carr came right back down the floor with the same result as Kentucky regained the advantage once again, 72-70. Flagg would tie the game with 1:14 to go and had a chance to win it on the final possession, but Oweh ripped the ball away, turned down the floor, and was fouled on a layup attempt.
He hit both freebies to give UK the lead. Flagg would turn the ball over on the other end in an attempt to save Duke. Kentucky made enough free throws to ice the win. The Pope era couldn’t be off to a better start.
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks prediction, pick for Game 1 of 2026 NBA Playoffs first round
Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Saturday’s Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks matchup in the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA playoffs are officially underway with a loaded opening round. Taking place in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks will take on the New York Knicks.
You can check out the full series preview on DraftKings Network here.
Looking at the odds for the series opener, the Knicks enter as 6.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hawks are +205 underdogs with the game total set at O/U 218.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Eastern Conference series opener.
Hawks vs. Knicks prediction, preview
The Atlanta Hawks went through a midseason transition, moving on from Trae Young after he headlined the production for the franchise for the past eight years. The Hawks have not missed a beat amid the major midseason shakeup, finishing as the sixth seed in the conference with a 46-36 overall record. On the season, Atlanta has gone 44-38 against the spread, and the game total has gone 41-41 to the over/under.
Jock Landale is the only player set to miss the matchup tonight. Jalen Johnson headlines the production, posting averages of 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has had a breakout season in a new location, adding 20.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. CJ McCollum adds 18.7 points and 4.1 assists across his first 41 games with the organization, while Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, Jonathan Kuminga, and Zaccharie Risacher also play notable roles.
Quin Snyder’s group scores 118.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Hawks also rank 14th in offensive rating, 13th in field goal percentage, and fifth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.0 points per game against Atlanta, which ranks 18th in the league. They also rank ninth in defensive rating, 18th in opponent field goal percentage, and 12th in opponent three-point percentage.
The New York Knicks entered the season with legitimate title aspirations. They have had some notable ups and downs, but now face this opportunity. New York finished the regular season with a 53-29 record and sit in third place in the East. The Knicks have gone 44-39 against the spread, and the game total has gone 38-45 to the over/under.
The Knicks enter this matchup with a clear injury report and a large sample size of the team playing together. Jalen Brunson headlines the production with 26.0 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns pitches in 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists of his own. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are responsible for the production at the wing positions, while Josh Hart sets the tone for this team from a hustle standpoint. New York also did an impressive job building out the bench unit this season, with players like Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Kolek capable of serving as X-factors off the bench.
As a team, the Knicks are scoring 116.5 points per game, which ranks 10th in the NBA. New York also ranks third in offense rating, 11th in field goal percentage, and fourth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 110.1 points per game against the Knicks, which ranks fifth in the league. They also rank seventh in defensive rating, fifth in opponent field goal percentage, and 20th in opponent three-point percentage.
Hawks vs. Knicks pick, best bet
These are two teams at different stages of their timeline, but neither will be afraid of this playoff spotlight. The Knicks pushed their chips in around this core and are hoping to be rewarded for it. They fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals last year and have made the postseason in four consecutive seasons. Atlanta missed out on the playoffs in back-to-back years and turned a new page direction with Jalen Johnson now leading the charge. Without Trae Young, the Hawks now lean on more of a defensive-minded identity and have a roster loaded with athleticism.
During the regular season, these teams faced off three times. They split the first two matchups, which took place on December 27th and January 2nd. New York picked up a narrow 108-105 victory in the most recent game, which took place on April 6th. Both sides were aware that this was a potential postseason matchup, and this game had some major seeding implications. It was an evenly matched game in which neither team was able to extend a lead beyond 10 points, and the rebounding battle was separated by just one board. The biggest discrepancy came with the Knicks shooting 50% compared to the Hawks shooting 40%, and New York outscoring Atlanta 52-34 in the paint.
While there are higher expectations for this Knicks team in the postseason outlook, the Hawks stack up fairly well in this matchup. Jalen Brunson will be at the heart of the offensive attack for New York. But his biggest weakness is when he is guarded by high-level athletes with a size advantage over him. The Hawks have built out a roster loaded with this archetype of player, and there is not a clear matchup for Brunson to hunt in most lineup combinations.
Brunson has enough experience and savvy to will settle in over the course of the series. But expect some growing pains in the early parts of this matchup, and for this to be a huge hurdle for this Knicks team. I am backing the Hawks to cover the 5.5-point spread and would not be shocked if they steal the opening game. This is a series in which neither side should be expected to pull away by major margins throughout. Count on Atlanta to have defense success and have a clear gameplan for limiting the impact of Brunson. Expect this matchup to come down to the wire and take the points in the series opener.
Best Bet: Hawks +6.5 (-112)
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