New York hosts Atlanta in a first-round clash that tips off at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video
The 2026 NBA Playoffs are officially underway, and the first round is wasting no time delivering compelling matchups. The New York Knicks open their postseason campaign today against the Atlanta Hawks, a series that pits one of the East’s most experienced playoff rosters against a young team that quietly rebuilt itself mid-season and dared to prove the skeptics wrong.
Game 1 tips off at Madison Square Garden, and the winner of the series advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
When and where is Game 1?
Knicks vs. Hawks Game 1 takes place today, April 18, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET.
How to watch Knicks vs. Hawks
The game will not air on traditional television. Game 1 streams exclusively on Prime Video, which is available through an Amazon Prime membership. New subscribers can access a 30-day free trial, making Game 1 accessible to first-time Prime customers at no immediate cost. Game 2, scheduled for Monday, April 20 at 8 p.m. ET, will air on NBC, Peacock and DIRECTV.
What to know about the Knicks
New York finished the regular season at 53-29, earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are built around one of the most effective offensive duos in the conference. Jalen Brunson averaged 26 points and 6.8 assists per game, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Together, they give New York a pairing capable of attacking any defensive scheme. The Knicks reached the conference semifinals last season and are targeting another deep run this postseason.
What to know about the Hawks
Atlanta’s path to the playoffs was anything but straightforward. The Hawks played just 10 games with former star point guard Trae Young before a midseason trade sent him elsewhere, and the team went 2-8 during that stretch. What followed was one of the more underrated turnarounds of the regular season. Without Young, Atlanta posted a 28-15 record the rest of the way and secured the No. 6 seed outright, avoiding the play-in tournament entirely.
The player driving that run is Jalen Johnson, who emerged as a genuine franchise cornerstone this season. Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game, a line that places him among the most complete players in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are back in the playoffs for the first time in three years and are looking to advance past the first round for the first time since 2021.
Full series schedule
The seven-game series between the Knicks and Hawks is scheduled as follows, with Games 5 through 7 played only if necessary. Game 1 tips off April 18 at New York on Prime Video, followed by Game 2 on April 20 at New York on NBC, Peacock and DIRECTV. Game 3 moves to Atlanta on April 23 on Prime Video, with Game 4 in Atlanta on April 25 on NBC, Peacock and DIRECTV. Games 5, 6 and 7 are scheduled for April 28 in New York, April 30 in Atlanta and May 2 in New York, with broadcast details to be announced.
The bigger picture
The first round of the 2026 playoffs tips off April 18, with conference semifinals beginning May 4. The Eastern and Western Conference Finals are slated to start May 19 and May 20 respectively, and the NBA Finals open June 3, with a potential Game 7 on June 19.
For Atlanta, today represents a chance to signal that its mid-season reinvention was no accident. For New York, it is the opening move in what the organization hopes will be a sustained postseason run. Either way, Madison Square Garden is the place to be this evening.