The New York Knicks look to rebound after their season-opening loss to the rival Boston Celtics, when they hit the road to take on the Atlanta Hawks Friday night inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. They tip it off at 7:30pm. Betonline has installed the Hawks as a slim two-point favorite (-127).

New York Knicks Betting Preview

The Knicks (0-1) opened their season at home against a very stacked Boston Celtics team and they simply had no answer on the defensive end of the floor against their arch-rivals. Jayson Tatum and former Knick Kristaps Porzingis both had big games against New York, with Tatum netting a game-high 34 and Porzingis haunting his old team with 30, including a tie-breaking three late in Boston's 108-104 win. 

New York must do a better job shooting against the Hawks then they did against the Celtics. They were missing wide open jumpers early on and they ended the night a dismal 36-for-97 for 37% from the floor. They also need more consistency from forward Julius Randle, who only gave them 14 points in the loss. If they get bench help as well, they have a good shot at winning this game. 

When teams get out early and run against the Knicks, they have had issues and a high-scoring game will not favor them here. If they keep it around 105 or so points, they have a legit shot to win it. 

Atlanta Hawks Betting Preview

The Hawks (0-1) dropped a 116-110 season opener against the new look Charlotte Hornets who shot well from beyond the arc, as they ended the game going 11-for-37. If Atlanta plays poor on defense against the Knicks, New York should be able to take advantage of some open looks. 

Atlanta is led by proven scorer and slick point guard Trae Young who finished the game with 23 points to go along with nine assists. He is the catalyst on the floor, and he makes the offense go and he has had some big games in his career against New York. He has averaged 27 points and close to 10 assists in his career against the Knicks, who have been victimized by some late game heroics as well. If the Hawks push the pace, they can keep the Knicks defense off balance and get out to a nice lead heading into the half. It comes down to making plays late on the defensive end of the floor for Atlanta. 

Atlanta did not have the best record last season against the spread as they posted a record of 36-45-1, and they were 14-25-1 against the number when they were installed as at least a slim two-point favorite. They are going to be looking to reverse that trend Friday nightand this season. 

Game Odds, Series Trends and Free Pick

The Hawks are not a bad team to play the over, because the point total went over in 45 of their games, which is more than half the season. They netted 118.4 points per game while the Knicks gave up around 113. When the Hawks pumped in more than 113 points, they had a winning record of 31-27 and 36-22 overall against the number. New York was a solid team against the spread as they compiled a mark of 45-32 last season. 

Neither team wants to open up the season 0-2, but Hawks are at home and Young has been a Knicks killer.