NBA Playoffs 2021: Lakers, Knicks' Chances To Come Back And Win First-Round Series

The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks were both defeated in their first-round series openers Sunday, but two of the league’s marquee teams are given very different chances to rebound after Game 1.

L.A. is still favored to outlast the Phoenix Suns in their best-of-seven NBA playoff series, while New York is now a sizable underdog against the Atlanta Hawks.

FanDuel Sportsbook gives the Lakers -118 odds to win the series before Game 2. The Suns have -104 odds with a 1-0 series lead. The Hawks now have -245 odds to beat the Knicks, who have +194 odds to win four of the next six games.

Atlanta stole home-court advantage with its 107-105 victory at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Trae Young silenced the 15,000-plus fans in attendance with his game-winning shot in the finals seconds. The Hawks guard scored 32 points to lead Atlanta against a Knicks’ team that went 25-11 at home in the regular season.

New York star Julius Randle struggled in his first playoff game with 15 points on 6-of-23 shooting. The Knicks only shot 10-of-30 from three-point range but still managed to lead for most of the fourth quarter.

The series was essentially considered a toss-up heading into Game 1, although Atlanta was a slight betting favorite at some sportsbooks. The Knicks went 3-0 against the Hawks in the regular season.

As the No. 7 seed, the Lakers entered the first-round as historic favorites over the Suns. Phoenix led most of the way in their 99-90 Game 1 win, maintaining home-court advantage over the defending champs. Phoenix went 27-9 at home in the regular season.

Injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis have loomed over the Lakers all season, but it was an injury to Chris Paul that was the story of Game 1. The Suns guard played through a shoulder contusion that briefly sent him to the locker room, finishing with seven points and eight assists. His status is undetermined heading into Game 2.

Teammates Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton picked up his slack, combining for 55 points, 23 rebounds and eight assists in Game 1. James and Davis only totaled 31 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists.

Falling behind 1-0 is nothing new for the Lakers. Los Angeles was defeated in Game 1 of its first two playoff series during last year’s championship run.

The Lakers are early two-point road favorites over the Suns in Game 2 on Tuesday.

Phoenix is the only higher-seeded Western Conference team that won Game 1. The Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are all in early 1-0 series holes after suffering home losses.

The Knicks were the only higher-seeded Eastern Conference team that lost Game 1 at home.