The New York Knicks concluded the regular season on a hot streak, winning five of their final six games, while the Atlanta Hawks lost three of their last four contests. The trends carried over into the postseason as the Knicks drew first blood in their first-round showdown.
Atlanta attempts to draw even when they visit Madison Square Garden on Monday to take on New York in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks, who took two of three from the Hawks in the regular season, aim to take a 2-0 lead after posting a 113-102 victory at home on Saturday.
Jalen Brunson led all players with 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 for New York, which went 4-5 at home last postseason. But the club was 30-10 on its own court in 2025-26 and got off to a good start there in this year’s playoffs.
The Hawks have lost three straight postseason series since defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. Atlanta should feel confident it can even this matchup, however, as it won five of eight contests at MSG prior to the Game 1 loss.
Two other Game 2s of NBA first-round series take place Monday, one of which has the Denver Nuggets hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves at 10:30 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 116-105 in their opener as they attempt to avenge their loss to Minnesota in the 2024 Western Conference semifinals.
The first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs continues Monday with four games, including the opener of the Western Conference series between the Anaheim Ducks and host Edmonton Oilers at 10 p.m. ET at Rogers Place. The Oilers are beginning their quest for a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, while the Ducks are making their first postseason appearance since 2018.
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Nine games are on MLB’s evening schedule, with one pitting the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals (13-8) against the Miami Marlins (10-12) at 6:40 p.m. ET in the opener of their three-game series at loanDepot Park. The Cardinals aim for their sixth straight victory both overall and on the road, where they have won six of their last seven after sweeping a three-game set against the Houston Astros over the weekend.
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The Knicks are 6.5-point favorites against the Hawks in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Nuggets are 7.5-point favorites over the Timberwolves. The Oilers are -175 favorites versus the Ducks and the Marlins are -132 favorites against the Cardinals.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, April 20. All times Eastern
NBA best bets, where to watch
Hawks at Knicks
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: NBC
SportsLine picks — Model: Knicks -6.5 (-107) | Expert: CJ McCollum Over 17.5 Points (-115, Mike Barner)
New York has been winning in convincing fashion of late, as four of its last six victories were by double digits – including Game 1 on Saturday. The Hawks lost to the Miami Heat by 26 points in their regular-season finale and were defeated by 11 in the series opener. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t see much changing in Game 2 as the Knicks cover the spread in 69% of its simulations. CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 26 points in Game 1, and SportsLine NBA expert Mike Barner (102-65, +2424 on his last 167 NBA player prop picks) likes him to record at least 18 on Monday.
Timberwolves at Nuggets
Time: 10:30 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: NBC
SportsLine picks — Model: Timberwolves +7.5 (-113) | Expert: Nikola Jokic Over 10.5 Assists (+112, PropBetGuy)
The Nuggets concluded the regular season with three consecutive double-digit victories and began the playoffs in similar fashion, defeating the Timberwolves by 11 points. However, Game 1 was tied at halftime and Minnesota trailed by only five points with about three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before Denver put it away. The SportsLine Projection Model believes the Timberwolves will keep the game closer Monday as its simulations have them covering the spread 58% of the time. Nikola Jokic led the NBA during the regular season with an average of 10.7 assists and dished out 11 in the series opener to reach double figures for the ninth time in his last 11 outings. SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (179-147, +887.5 on his last 326 NBA player prop picks) feels Jokic will once again register at least 11 against a Minnesota team that was 19th in the league in 2025-26 in assists allowed at the basket.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Ducks at Oilers
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Edmonton | TV: ESPN2 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Under 6.5 (+113) | Expert: Oilers -1.5 (+145, Jeff Hochman)
The Oilers were sixth in the NHL in scoring during the regular season with 282 goals, and both teams ranked in the bottom eight in the league in goals allowed with Edmonton (25th) yielding 265 and Anaheim (29th) giving up 288. But it tends to be more difficult to score in the postseason and the Oilers could be without one of their top offensive players in Leon Draisaitl, who missed the team’s final 14 regular-season contests with a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision. With those things considered, the SportsLine Projection Model sees a low-scoring series opener as the Under hits in almost 61% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Jeff Hochman (24-16, +535 on his last 40 NHL picks) thinks Edmonton will cover the spread in Game 1 as its top-ranked power play during the regular season (30.6%) goes up against Anaheim’s 27th-ranked penalty-killing unit (76.4%).
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MLB best bets, where to watch
Cardinals at Marlins
Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Miami | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Cardinals ML (+111)
After losing their first two road games this season, the Cardinals have won six of their last seven – including the last five. St. Louis scored a total of 23 runs while sweeping its three-game series against the Astros in Houston over the weekend and extending its overall winning streak to five games. The Marlins lost seven of eight before salvaging the finale of their three-game home set against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, but the SportsLine Projection Model feels the Cardinals will keep rolling as its simulations have them winning the three-game series opener 57% of the time.
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