The New York Knicks will look to keep up their hot play and move closer to their first in-season tournament title as they face off against the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup semi-final tonight.
Jalen Brunson has been scoring at will as of late, and I’m also seeing Paolo Banchero picking up more of the offensive slack for the Magic in my Knicks vs. Magic predictions.
Keep reading to see my top NBA player props for tonight’s NBA Cup matchup in my free NBA picks for Saturday, December 13.
Best Knicks vs Magic props
| Player | Pick |  |
|---|---|---|
 Jalen Brunson |
Over 29.5 points | -115 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns |
Over 11.5 rebounds | +105 |
 Paolo Banchero |
Over 1.5 made threes | -105 |
Prop #1: Jalen Brunson Over 29.5 points
Jalen Brunson ranks eighth in the NBA with 28.3 points per game and has proven himself to be one of the most reliable scorers in the league. And while there have been stretches this season where Brunson hasn’t put up huge numbers on a nightly basis, the last week has been one of his best stretches yet.
In his last three games, Brunson has scored at least 30 points each time, while shooting the ball at a 54.2% clip from the field. He’s shooting the ball well from three-point range (37.6% on the year) and has been regularly putting up enough shots to be in the running for his points props.
The Orlando Magic is a solid defensive team, but we just saw Brunson score 30 against the Magic last Sunday, when he shot a disappointing 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
We’ve come to expect better than that from the New York Knicks star, and against a depleted Orlando lineup without Franz Wagner, I’m expecting a big game out of Brunson in a contest the Knicks should be going all-out to win.
Prop #2: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 11.5 rebounds
Speaking of consistent production, Karl-Anthony Towns has been one of the best rebounders in the league this year, averaging 12.0 boards per game to rank second in the NBA.
The center is also coming off a massive game in the NBA Cup quarterfinals against the Toronto Raptors in which he put up 16 rebounds in 31 minutes.
That has helped the Knicks rank second in rebounding rate this year. Orlando doesn’t fare too badly in that stat either — they are seventh in the NBA — but the loss of Wagner, who averages 6.1 boards per game, will hurt them here too.
Towns is likely to be primarily battling Wendell Carter Jr. for rebounds, and that’s a matchup Towns should have a clear advantage in.
Both teams play strong defense, which should lead to a few more rebounding opportunities throughout the night.
With Towns being given a plus number at a rebounding total that’s below his season average, I’m backing him to hit the Over tonight.
Prop #3: Paolo Banchero Over 1.5 made threes
Orlando has been glad to have Paolo Banchero back in the lineup after missing 10 games with a groin strain, and it’s essential to have the young star available tonight with Wagner out of the lineup.
Banchero is the second-leading scorer for the Magic at 20.2 ppg, and will be tasked with generating much of the offense tonight.
Banchero has never been a particularly efficient three-point shooter — he’s only 31.9% from deep in his career — but that hasn’t stopped him from taking a fair number of opportunities from beyond the arc. He’s been a little more conscious of the fact that this isn’t his forte in the current season, but he still attempts 3.8 threes per game.
But what really has me targeting the Over tonight is the simple fact that Banchero will take more shots with Wagner on the bench. In the last two games since Wagner went down, Banchero has gone 5-for-11 from three-point range, hitting at least two threes in each contest.
This is a bet all about circumstance, as the Wagner injury is forcing Banchero slightly outside his comfort zone. But he’s shown he’s willing to throw up more threes when needed, and I’m sure he’ll do that again tonight — especially after finding success from range in his last two games.
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