The Knicks face the Hawks in Game 4 of their playoff series on Saturday. Atlanta leads the series 2-1 after winning the last two games by narrow margins.
Key points
Knicks play Hawks in Game 4 of NBA playoffs
Atlanta leads series 2-1
Hawks won last two games by 1-point
C.J. McCollum has been crucial for Hawks
Knicks must win to stay in the series
New York KnicksAtlanta HawksNBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs on NBC continue Saturday afternoon with the New York Knicks playing the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their first-round series. The game will be on NBC and Peacock.
Atlanta leads the series 2-1 after winning the past two games. While New York won Game 1, 113-102, the Hawks have made their money with 1-point wins: 107-106 in Game 2 and 109-108 in Game 3. The last win came from a go-ahead jumper by C.J. McCollum.
McCollum has done heroic things for the Hawks in the past two games in particular, with crucial jumpers in the final minute of both outings. It seems to be a trade win for the franchise after bringing in McCollum from Washington on January 9 and sending Trae Young to the Wizards.
Teams that lead a best-of-seven series 3-1 go on to win the series 95.6% of the time, according to NBC Sports research, meaning it is do or die for the Knicks. They know as much, with New York guard Deuce McBride saying Friday, "I would say we're playing for our lives."
See below for additional information on the Knicks-Hawks game and how to watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs on NBC and Peacock.
The Knicks entered this season with NBA Finals expectations but now find themselves in unfamiliar territory.
âItâs a seven-game series for a reason," Knicks head coach Mike Brown said after Game 3. "Stuffâs gonna happen. Plenty of teams have been down one-two. Oklahoma City was down last year (in the west semifinals and NBA Finals) and they ended up winning it. Iâm not saying weâre gonna win it or anything like that... but you take it one game at a time. This should sting because we gave ourselves a chance despite not playing our best basketball.â
One would think the Hawks have the advantage in Game 4, especially on a two-game win streak and with McCollum in friendly territory after being brandished a villain at Madison Square Garden â claims he denies, saying, "I am no villain. I am a nice guy with two kids and a wife."
The Knicks' McBride took the bulk of the minutes and scored 15 points off the bench in Game 3 after Mikal Bridges was held scoreless â the first time Bridges has been held scoreless in 60 playoff games. Bridges was benched for most of the second half, calling into question which of the two should start in Game 4.
The back-to-back 1-point wins by Atlanta go against New York's 21-13 regular season record in clutch games, marking a staggering deviation. This is the first series to feature back-to-back 1-point wins by the same team since 2006, when Cleveland (then coached by Brown) beat Washington by 1 point in back-to-back games (Games 5 and 6) to win its first round series.
NBC Sports will present up to 23 games in the first round and 11 games in the conference semifinals across either NBC and Peacock, or Peacock and NBCSN. Playoff programming concludes with exclusive coverage of the Western Conference Finals on NBC and Peacock.
Which playoff rounds will be available on Peacock?
Peacockâs NBA playoffs coverage spans multiple rounds, including the first round, the conference semifinals, and the Western Conference Finals, with coverage evolving as the postseason progresses.
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