The NBA Finals continue Monday night with Game 3 from Madison Square Garden between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. Let’s increase our bankroll with today’s top NBA Finals picks.
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Monday’s Best NBA Finals Picks
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
San Antonio Spurs (+105) at New York Knicks (-125) | O/U 216.5 (-108/-112)
The Spurs are squarely behind the 8-ball after losing back-to-back games against the Knicks on their home floor. New York heads to Madison Square Garden with 13 consecutive playoff victories, the second-longest win streak in NBA postseason history. Only the Golden State Warriors, who won 15 in a row in 2017, have had more consecutive wins in the postseason.
In Game 2 on Friday at Frost Bank Center, San Antonio led 34-25 after the first quarter, but New York was up 56-52 at halftime. The Spurs made a run in the fourth quarter, but they came up just short in a 105-104 loss as 6.5-point favorites, while the under (216.5) came through.
The Spurs shot 47% (37-of-78) from the field and 38% (11-of-29) from behind the three-point line, but Victor Wembanyama misfired on the final shot attempt on a jumper. Jalen Brunson nailed a go-ahead free throw with 9.5 seconds left after Wembanyama turned it over a few seconds before that.
The Knicks shot 42% (37-of-89) from the field and 39% (15-of-38) from behind the arc, while cashing in at a 76% clip (16-of-21) from the free-throw line. New York was +2 in rebounding, including +5 on the offensive end. They were +7 in assists and +4 in steals. New York turned it over one fewer time, and that helped to contribute to the win in a razor-thin margin of victory.
San Antonio led by as many as 12 points, but New York’s lead ballooned to as many as 14 points. It was a seesaw battle, too, as the Knicks led for 50% of the game and the Spurs for 47%, with just 3% tied.
The Knicks had three players score 20+ points, with Karl-Anthony Towns going for 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while adding 13 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Brunson was good for 20 points, although he misfired 18 times on 25 shots. He added six dimes, five boards and five steals to end up with a strong stat line.
Mikal Bridges was good for 20 points on 8-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-6 from downtown. He also had six assists, and New York had all five starters contribute at least three assists and four rebounds, with four starters scoring 17+ points. That’s a balanced effort, and one which has the Knicks two games from their first NBA championship since 1973.
All of that said, it’s not time to put the Spurs into the ground just yet. This is a team that went on the road in Game 7 to show defending champs Oklahoma City Thunder the door, beating them in their own place. Let’s take the Spurs to win outright and grab their first win of the series. And, we’ll go high on the total, as San Antonio finally figures out the offense after averaging just 99.5 points per game in the first two games, while allowing 105.0 points per contest.
Picks: Spurs Moneyline (+105) & Over 216.5 Points (-108)
