The NBA's Christmas Day slate opens with a matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. New York is favored by seven points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over-Under is set at 209.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our NBA odds page). 

Before making any Hawks vs. Knicks picks, you NEED to check out the NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 10 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 46-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning almost $1,900. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows the Hawks are excellent on offense, scoring more than 112 points per 100 possessions this season. That places in the top five of the NBA, and Atlanta currently leading the league in 3-point shooting. The Hawks take advantage of the free-throw line, making more than 80 percent of attempts, and Atlanta projects to have strong ball security against New York. The Knicks rank in the bottom tier of the NBA in turnover creation, while the Hawks are near the top of the NBA in avoiding turnovers. New York's shaky two-point shooting should also help Atlanta in this matchup.

The model also knows the Knicks have the better defense in this game. New York is in the top five of the NBA in 2-point shooting allowed and in the top 10 in field-goal percentage allowed. The Knicks are also blocking more than five shots per game, ranking near the top of the league, and the Hawks famously struggle on offense with Trae Young on the sideline. New York is also the healthier team at this juncture, and Atlanta's defense ranks in the bottom ten of the NBA in points allowed per possession.

Now, it has set its sights on Hawks vs. Knicks. We can tell you the model is leaning over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any NBA picks.

Who wins Hawks vs. Knicks? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Hawks vs. Knicks spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a roll on NBA picks!