Everyone in the discord knows how I feel about the Knicks. Josh Hart even said their “goal is to go down here and take two” and now, the value on the ML is wild. Yes, it's a must win game for San Antonio but Jalen Brunson is on a mission. The Spurs are going to come out firing in this one but the experience, depth, and defensive awareness from New York could wear down the Spurs in the second half and especially in the fourth quarter. As long as Karl Anthony-Towns can keep up the defensive intensity on Victor Wembanyama like he did in game one, the rest of the Knicks should be able to contain the Spurs role players.

Jalen Brunson went 2 of 9 from beyond the arc in Game 1, including a couple misses that were halfway down. The volume should continue to be there due to Victor Wembanyama's presence inside. Brunson did not clear this prop total in any of the past five games, but he did it three out of four games vs. the 76ers. In the three regular-season meetings with San Antonio, Brunson hoisted 24 3-point tries, making 10. This is a matchup in which Brunson is more willing to let it fly.

DraftKings. Yes, he shot poorly in Game 1, but this is a line he has yet to clear since returning from his ankle injury. His best utility offensively has been as a facilitator, and Game 1 was the third time in the last four games in which he had more potential assists (15) than field goal attempts (13). I expect Victor Wembanyama to come out incredibly aggressive tonight, and Fox is not an efficiency spot-up scorer (46.6% eFG% is the worst of the Spurs perimeter players in the playoffs outside of Stephon Castle).

D’Aron Fox took the most heat in game one’s loss for the Spurs, and rightfully so. He was just 3 of 13 from the floor and finished with seven points. He averaged just 11 points in the series against OKC, and has not cleared his points prop since the closeout game against Minnesota. Maybe the last true buy low spot on a player prop offering, take Fox’s over.

With the Knicks winning game one, this should be a series that goes seven games. Tonight I expect the Spurs to respond in a big way as they have off a loss in the postseason. As strong as the Knicks win streak is, the Spurs have lost two games in a row just once in the postseason. Since the start of the New Year, they have not lost consecutive games at home. The way they blew game one was reminiscent of the NBA Cup championship. A late third quarter double digit lead that quickly faded. They respond in game two.

The Knicks and Spurs scored 200 in Game 1 on Wednesday, while both shot poorly from the field and 3-point range. The Knicks shot 41% and 31% from 3, while the Spurs were off shooting at 36% and 26% from long distance. I do not think the Spurs will have as bad a game shooting, especially from 3-point range. That'll be the difference between going over and staying under. The over favors the Spurs, who were 10-2 to the over before Game 1. This total has dropped from 218 in Game 1 to 214 in Game 2, but is now up to 217.5. I'm on the over.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals was tied after three quarters, and the Knicks proceeded to win the fourth quarter by 10 and the game by 10. The Knicks have now won 12 games in a row despite shooting only 41% from the field. They only had eight turnovers in the game, and I think that's an area that the Spurs need to immediately address: getting more defensive pressure. The Spurs shot only 36% from the field and made just 11-of-43 3-pointers for 26%, along with having 13 turnovers. The Spurs are a young team learning, while the Knicks have a bunch of seasoned veterans. But I think the Spurs are going to have a stronger effort in Game 2 at home. Spurs to cover.

Josh Hart finished plus-22 in the box score in Game 1 -- in only 27 minutes -- despite scoring just three points. His energy and hustle were obvious, as the 6-5 guard grabbed a whopping 15 rebounds. He has now collected 35 rebounds in the past three games. If Hart stays out of foul trouble, he should exceed 30 minutes and again be a force on the boards.

For the first time this season, I am on record as saying the New York Knicks are going to win the NBA Title. Entering the Finals, you just didn't know if the 11-game win streak was a new Knicks team that is the best in basketball or an outlier based on the poor quality of opponents. Game 1 vs. the Spurs answered that. This version of the Knicks team is the best in basketball, and while I understand the "zig-zag" nature of this bounce-back spot for the Spurs, I also consider getting 6.5 a gift for a team that not only has won 12 straight, but also won by 22.7 PPG, while covering in 11 of them.

DraftKings. Landry Shamet sank three of his six three pointers in Game 1 of the Finals. At some point, Shamet will see some shooting regression (he’s 20 for his last 27 from downtown), but I do like him to see enough minutes and volume tonight. Shamet played 33 minutes in Game 1 - the Knicks will need his size on the perimeter to combat the Spurs big and physical guards, defensively. Shamet cleared this line this season in 20/29 games when playing between 20-30 minutes. And offensively, I expect the Spurs to continue to funnel the action to the Knicks three point shooters, similar to what they did against the Thunder (OKC had a 37% catch and shoot rate in the series).

The Spurs' Dylan Harper has played 25+ minutes off the bench in three of the last four playoff games, and after his Game 1 performance (16 points, 8 boards), should see at least that, if not more, tonight. Over his last 11 games, Harper has posted 5+ rebounds in 9 of them, and the two he didn't were a game he left earlier with an injury and the game after, when he saw only 17 minutes with the injury. He's averaging 6.4 rebounds a game over those 11 games, and if you take those two games out, it's 7.2.

Keldon Johnson has been a key veteran off the bench for the Spurs. He only played eight minutes in Game 1, but he has averaged 18 minutes in the playoffs, so I think we see more of him in Game 2. Even with his limited workload Wednesday, he went 1-for-2 from three. That marked the seventh time over his last eight games that he finished with at least one three-pointer. After he shot 38.3% from three at home this season, I like his chances of making at least one shot from behind the arc in Game 2.

MGM/365/Rivers. One of the adjustments Spurs coach Mitch Johnson is going to have to consider is playing Dylan Harper more, especially down the stretch. The rookie has outplayed De’Aaron Fox since the latter suffered an ankle injury, and there is also a path to having both guards plus Stephon Castle on the court together at the expense of Devin Vassell. Even with his normal minute allotment, Harper has cleared this rebound line in nine of his last ten full games, including his 8-board performance in Game 1 of the Finals. Victoria Wembanyama will grab his share of rebounds, but he will have a brutal individual matchup - San Antonio will need their perimeter players to step up, and Harper has consistently done just that.

Certainly the Spurs are going to come out with more fire here, but we’ve seen this story before in Knicks games, and they answered the bell in Game 2’s vs the Sixers and Cavaliers. The Knicks have been the most-impressive team of the postseason. They swept through the second and third rounds. In Game 1, the teams traded roundhouse rights. There were lots of runs in this game, and the Knicks made the last one. New York is now 3-1 vs. the Spurs this season, and the lone Spurs win was by two points.

With both teams struggling to hit shots, Dylan Harper had eight rebounds in Game 1. Dating back to the Western Conference Finals, Harper has grabbed at least five rebounds in five straight games. Like a lot of young players, he seems to perform better at home. He averaged 3.9 rebounds a game at home this season, compared to 2.9 a night on the road. After playing so well across 28 minutes in Game 1, I think he sees a similar workload in Game 2 and hits this over.

Julian Champagnie scored 16 points in Game 1. He also hit 5 3’s, shooting 5-of-10. At this point it’s almost a waste to pick him to do anything scoring-wise except hit 3’s. The last four playoff games, Champagnie is 17-of-34 on 3’s (50%). In four of the last five games, he’s attempted two or fewer two-point shots. Champagnie averages 11.1 ppg on the season but scored 20-plus in two of the final three games vs. the Thunder.

Josh Hart dealt with some early foul trouble in Game 1, which contributed to him only playing 27 minutes. Still, he finished with six assists. He is averaging 33 minutes a game in the playoffs, so if he can avoid foul trouble, we could see even more of him in Game 2. He has a ton of efficient shooters around him, which has helped him record at least five assists in six of his last nine games. Look for him to record at least five assists again.

Josh Hart had 15 rebounds in Game 1, but also had six assists. His rebound and assist totals were 17 and 14 the previous two games as well. He’s in a good spot to get a lot of rebounds. Assists he’s had between 5 and 7 of them in the last four games. He was only 1-of-5 shooting, deferred to the stars. The prior game he was 2-for-5. This is his role down the stretch.

Dylan Harper suffered an adductor injury in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. He looks fully healthy now and has cleared this prop total in five straight games. Coach Mitch Johnson is catching heat for benching Harper for De'Aaron Fox down the stretch of Game 1. The Spurs missed Harper's rebounding and playmaking. I'm expecting 30 minutes for the star rookie in a must-win Game 2. Look for Harper to grab five-plus rebounds for the 10th time in his last 12 playoff games.