Road to the NBA Finals: NBA Playoff Predictions, Picks for Cavs vs. Knicks Eastern Conference Finals Game 2

Sports Illustrated's Peter Dewey is betting on every NBA game this postseason. Here’s a breakdown of his best bet for Game 2 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is an interesting prop target in Game 2. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks made a crazy comeback on Tuesday night to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and now they have a chance to take a 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. 

Cleveland had a golden opportunity to pull off an upset on Tuesday, but some poor late-game execution – and some questionable coaching decisions – allowed New York to steal Game 1 in overtime. 

I took a side in Game 1 of this series, and the bet on the New York Knicks (-7.5-point favorites) appeared to be dead in the water before they erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

New York went on to win Game 1 in overtime and cover the spread, moving to 27-15 against the spread as a home favorite. So, bettors may consider running back the same play on Thursday with New York favored by just 6.5 points. 

But when it comes to the “Road to the NBA Finals” challenge, I’m not always going to roll with game picks. In fact, the rules call for a player prop here and there: 

• Bet on every game through the play-in tournament and playoffs
• Bet can be a spread, total, moneyline, player prop or game prop
• ENJOY POSTSEASON BASKETBALL!

In Game 2, I’m focusing on the star of Game 1 for my favorite bet. Jalen Brunson dominated as a scorer, especially in the fourth quarter, against this Cavs defense, and I don’t expect them to slow him down on Thursday night. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Jalen Brunson OVER 27.5 Points (-106)

Do the Cavs have an answer for Brunson? 

The verdict after Game 1 is a resounding, “No.” 

Even before his impressive fourth quarter, Brunson had 20 points (on 7-of-18 shooting) and was able to get some pretty easy looks in the mid-range.

So, I’m buying him to clear this line, as he’s averaging 28.4 points per game during this playoff run. Brunson has been one of the best playoff scorers since joining the Knicks, putting up 29.6 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field. 

New York is going to run on the star guard’s offense, and Brunson has been even more efficient than normal in the playoffs, hitting 48.9 percent of his shots from the field and 38.9 percent of his 3s. He’s also taking 21.0 shots per game, giving him an extremely solid floor when it comes to this prop. 

Against the Cavs in the regular season, Brunson had 23, 34 and 20 points, but he took less than 20 shots in both games where he failed to clear this number. 

After a dazzling showing in Game 1, Brunson is worth a look to lead the Knicks again on Thursday night.

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