FanDuel. Mikal Bridges has emerged for the Knicks, clearing this line in five of the last six games, including his 18-point, 5-rebound performance in Game 1 against the Cavaliers. Bridges has seemingly catapulted up Mike Brown’s trust tree, and should be in for another sizeable role in Game 2 (37 regulation minutes in Game 1). Bridges served as the primary defender on James Harden, with Josh Hart ceding his spot down the stretch to Landry Shamet. Bridges should be able to find spot up opportunities against a Cavs defense that was in the bottom seven against the playtype this season. And even with his late season struggles, Bridges still has a 67% hit rate on this line with 30+ minutes this season (47/69).

Look for the Cleveland Cavaliers to lean more on Max Strus in game two. He had a noticeable impact in game one, that did not reflect his output in terms of points. The Cavaliers even called a set play for Strus out of a timeout, in which he drained a three. I would not be shocked to see Strus play over thirty minutes, and score double figures for just the second time in seven games. Play his points prop over.

Veteran guard Dennis Schroder shot 1 of 9 in Game 1, yet the Cavs outscored the Knicks during his 18 minutes. He dished out five assists against zero turnovers and added a steal. Schroder has dished out 16 assists in the past four games, clearing this prop total each time. With the aging James Harden struggling with his ballhandling (6 turnovers) and defense, look for Schroder to play significant minutes yet again.

Right now Mike Brown trusts Mikal Bridges more than anyone besides Jalen Brunson. Bridges played 42 minutes in the Game 1 win, and he has cleared this combined prop total in six straight games. His defense is essential to slowing down Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, so I don't see Brown giving Bridges fewer than 35 minutes. Bridges has shot 50 percent or better in eight straight games after a brutal start to the postseason. Josh Hart could lose some minutes, OG Anunoby is playing just his second game back from injury, and Karl-Anthony Towns is always a candidate for foul trouble. Back Bridges to stay hot.

The Knicks took Game 1 by overcoming a 22-point deficit in the final 7:52 of regulation, sending the game into overtime, where the Cavs ran out of gas and never led. I was worried about the long rest by the Knicks, and they shook it off after three quarters, and then the Cavs showed some fatigue after playing seven games against the Pistons. Nine days rest for the Knicks, 2 days rest for the Cavs. And the Cavs ended up shooting 40% for the game while the Knicks shot 48%. The Cavs need more production out of Evan Mobley and James Harden, and I think they get it tonight. Cavs to win.

Jalen Brunson had six assists in Game 1, and two of them were in overtime. The offense is running through Karl-Anthony Towns, and Brunson is a score-first dynamo in the playoffs. He had between 4-5 assists in every regular-season game vs. the Cavs and hit seven assists just once in Round 2 vs. the 76ers.

FanDuel. Sam Merrill came off the Cavs bench and delivered 12 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With the Knicks defense predicated at sending doubles and hard hedges at James Harden, Merrill was the beneficiary with eight uncontested three pointers (per NBA tracking data). The Knicks were a catch and shoot funnel defensively all season, and seem more inclined to let the Cavs secondary scorers beat them. I’d bet this to over 8.5 at -105 or better.

OG Anunoby looked off in his return from injury, scoring just 13 points in Game 1. He played 34 minutes, but only went 2-for-9 from the field. With him struggling, Mikal Bridges stepped up to score 18 points. That marked the fifth time over the last six games that he has scored at least 17 points. During that span, he shot 47.4% from three. After Jalen Brunson carried the Knicks to a comeback win, look for the Cavaliers to throw more double teams his way. If that happens, we could see even more open looks for Bridges. Take this over.

Sam Merrill logged 28 minutes in Game 1, which was the most playing time he has seen in game during the Cavaliers playoff run. He came through with 12 points, shooting 3-for-8 from behind the arc. He has made at least two three-pointers in five straight games and has scored at least 10 points in three straight. His role seems to be increasing, and he is shooting 40.0% from three in the playoffs, so this over is appealing.

Karl-Anthony Towns has hit his assist prop in 8 straight postseason games, averaging 7.6 assists per game, with at least 5 in each. Wednesday's Game 1 was the first game in the streak in which he "only" had 5 assists, although he had 4 in the first half. During the 8 -game stretch, KAT is averaging 8.3 assist chances per game, playing only 27.8 minutes a game due to blowouts and foul trouble. He averaged 6.5 assists per game in the final four games of the regular season. Going back to April 1 (16 games), KAT is averaging 6.1 assists per game.