Knicks vs. Cavaliers Game 3 Best Bets Featuring Donovan Mitchell, More
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 16: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Barclays Center on December 16, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Visit forestarrow.rest for more information.
Getty ImagesThe Knicks have recorded a pair of very different victories in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, pulling off a record comeback in Game 1 before notching a relatively comfortable 16-point triumph in Game 2.
The series now shifts to Cleveland for a pivotal Game 3, a must-win scenario for the Cavaliers. Ahead of tonight’s high-stakes showdown, we dive into a three-leg same-game parlay that could deliver handsome returns on investment:
(Odds listed are best at time of publishing)
New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers, 8:00 p.m. ET
Same-Game Parlay:
- Cavaliers Alt. Spread +4.5
- Karl-Anthony Towns To Record 30+ Points + Rebounds + Assists
- Donovan Mitchell To Score 25+ Points
Odds: +202 on FanDuel Sportsbook
Cleveland looked to be in prime position to steal a game at Madison Square Garden to open the series Tuesday, but the Cavaliers infamously blew a 22-point lead with under eight minutes remaining and eventually fell in overtime.
Kenny Atkinson’s squad then appeared somewhat deflated in Game 2 on Thursday, ultimately falling by a 16-point margin and shooting only 39% despite emerging from the first quarter with a lead.
That naturally puts the Cavaliers behind the proverbial 8-ball as the series shifts to Rocket Arena, but there are reasons to think Cleveland will be a different team come Saturday night.
To begin with, the Cavs are 33-15 straight up at home since the start of the regular season, per Team Rankings, including 6-1 in the postseason.
The Cavaliers are actually narrow home favorites of 2.5 points for Saturday’s matchup, but Cleveland is only 7-9 against the spread in the postseason, albeit with a respectable -2.3 ATS +/-.
Additionally, Cleveland is 20-25 against the number as a home favorite since the start of the regular season, but once again, their ATS +/- figure of -2.6 speaks to how closely the Cavs have typically kept those games.
Therefore, for our first leg, we’ll take advantage of FanDuel’s Alt. Spread feature and actually give the Cavaliers some cushion by bringing it all the way to Cavs +4.5.
Next we’ll focus on Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s displayed plenty of versatility during the postseason by taking on much more of a facilitator role but still providing strong contributions on both the scoreboard and the glass.
Per RotoWire, Towns is averaging 33.6 points + rebounds + assists across 30.1 minutes per contest over 12 playoff games to date, shooting a stellar 56.8%, including 46.2% from three-point range, in that sample. He’s also helping his offensive cause by converting 88.3% of his 5.0 free-throw attempts per contest.
Towns has averaged 31.5 points + rebounds + assists over 38.0 minutes over the first two games of the current series, and over five total games against Cleveland since the start of the regular season, he’s put up 28.8 points + rebounds + assists per contest.
The big man is also seeing a massive 23.5 rebounding opportunities per game over the first two installments of the Eastern Conference Finals, and per NBA.com, he’s converting them at an impressive 55.3% clip.
Therefore, for our second leg, we’ll utilize FanDuel’s Alt. feature once again to bring down Towns’ PRA number slightly from 32.5 to 30+ after he posted exactly 31 points + rebounds + assists in each of the last three contests.
To wrap up our parlay, we’re pivoting to the highest-upside Cavaliers most nights, that being Donovan Mitchell.
The star guard has particularly had a hot hand in recent games, averaging 27.0 points per contest on 47.6% shooting over the last three contests while pouring in at least 26 points in each of those outings.
Mitchell is averaging 28.6 points over five total games against the Knicks since the start of the regular season, a sample in which he’s put up 21.5 field-goal attempts and 7.0 free throws per contest. Mitchell also averaged 28.7 points per game at Rocket Arena during the regular season.
Mitchell has scored over 25 points in six of the last eight postseason games, and at least 25 in 55 instances overall since the start of the regular season. The veteran superstar is likely to continue boasting a very high usage rate in Game 3 given the stakes at play for Cleveland, making the 25+ alternate scoring figure the third leg of our parlay.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com