The New York Knicks let Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals slip through their fingers on Wednesday night but Jalen Brunson did his part, dropping 43 points.
After a monstrous performance from Brunson and these offenses in Game 1, we're seeing some inflated player props for today's showdown. That's why I'm fading the All-Star point guard with my Jalen Brunson props for Game 2 between the Knicks and Pacers on May 23.
Jalen Brunson player prop picks
- Best bet
Under 7.5 assists
(-135) - SGP pick
Brunson Under 7.5 assists
Brunson Over 2.5 turnovers
Knicks First Half ML
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
Jalen Brunson best bet
Pick (-135 at bet365)
Jalen Brunson scored 43 points on 15-25 shooting in Game 1, but he didn't do much as a facilitator. Not only did the New York Knicks point guard finish with a modest five assists, he also had just six potential assists.
Brunson has now logged fewer than 7.5 dimes in eight of his last nine games, and I don't see him bucking that trend here. Especially since he'll likely continue to look for his own shot with the Indiana Pacers' point of attack defenders unable to stay in front of him.
While the Pacers were couldn't stop Brunson from scoring Game 1, their help defense has improved over the last few months and they do an excellent job cutting off passing lanes.
The Pacers allowed the 12th-fewest assists per game (26.0) in the NBA during the regular season. They've significantly slowed down their pace in the playoffs and have lowered that number to just 20.4 apg over their last five games.
These teams combined for 273 points in Game 1 (250 in regulation) but that was due to red-hot shooting and the contest was played at a middling tempo. Expect both sides to emphasize defense and that combined with a slower pace should lead to lower offensive numbers across the board.
Jalen Brunson same-game parlay
Jalen Brunson Under 7.5 assists
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 turnovers
Knicks First Half moneyline
Brunson was able to get buckets seemingly at will against Pacers POA defenders Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. However, he struggled with their pressure and length at times which led to a career-high seven turnovers.
I don't expect another seven TO game from the veteran but he also eclipsed the 2.5 turnover mark in the last two regular season meetings with Indiana and should go Over that number again.
The Knicks had a 14-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter in Game 1. The Pacers pulled off an epic comeback reminiscent of the Reggie Miller era, but expect the Knicks to come out fired up in response in Game 2.
Keep in mind that New York has an average first-half scoring margin of +4.2 ppg at home this season (regular season and postseason), while Indy has a first-half margin of -2.0 ppg on the road.
The non-correlated parlay of fading Brunson on his assists and turnovers while backing the Knicks on the first half ML is tough to turn down.
Pacers vs Knicks betting resources
- Pacers vs. Knicks prediction
- Pacers vs. Knicks props & best bets
- Pacers vs. Knicks same-game parlay
- Tyrese Haliburton predictions
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