ESPN’s basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you lock in daily fantasy and betting decisions for that night’s games. Here you’ll find our top insights for the slate, including players to target for your daily fantasy rosters, along with game-by-game injury reports.
Game 2 projections, injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs
8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Line: Knicks +6.5 (-118) | Spurs -6.5 (-102)
Money line: Knicks +180 | Spurs -218
Total: 218.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 2.2, straight up 56.8%, 215.6 total points.
Injury report:Knicks: Mitchell Robinson(GTD – Finger); Spurs: David Jones Garcia(OFS – Ankle)
The New York Knicks enter Game 2 with a 1-0 NBA Finals lead after stealing a 105-95 win on the road against the San Antonio Spurs, but the opener left both teams with clear adjustments to make. Jalen Brunson finished with 30 points on 31 shots and saved his best work for the fourth quarter, while Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart all gave New York important production around him. The Knicks also cleaned up their turnovers after halftime, which helped slow a Spurs team that hurt them early in transition.
The Spurs must respond in Game 2. Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1, but he shot just 6-of-21 from the field and will need to be more efficient with San Antonio trying to avoid an 0-2 hole before the series shifts to Madison Square Garden. Dylan Harper’s late-game role is also worth watching after he flashed early but then played limited fourth-quarter minutes.
The margin is thin, and Game 2 could come down to pace, turnovers and which star gets cleaner looks. Let’s dig further into the matchups to identify some betting angles and DFS picks for tonight’s action.
Moody’s bet for Friday
Victor Wembanyama 13+ rebounds (+126)
Wembanyama has fallen short of 13 rebounds in five consecutive games, but he did have 22 rebound chances in Game 1, which is encouraging. It was surprising to see him spend so much time defending Towns, which pulled him away from the paint and helped create second-chance opportunities for the Knicks. It is always challenging to predict what coaches will do, but I could see Wembanyama spending more time on Hart in Game 2. That would allow him to stay closer to the paint, and the Spurs can live with Hart taking 3-point attempts.
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ salaries
Victor Wembanyama, C, Spurs ($12,800): Wembanyama still finished with 51.5 fantasy points in Game 1 despite shooting just 28.6% from the field, showing how much his all-category production can salvage a poor shooting night. He was also operating farther from the basket than usual, with an average field-goal attempt distance of 17.3 feet, according to Genius IQ, his second-farthest mark of the playoffs. With the Spurs trying to avoid an 0-2 hole, Wembanyama should bounce back in Game 2.
Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C, Knicks ($10,600): Towns finished with 41.5 fantasy points in Game 1 and attacked the basket when Wembanyama got too close to him. Brunson struggled with his shot, making just 38.7% of his attempts from the field. The Spurs are unlikely to let Brunson take that many shots in Game 2, which could open up more opportunities for Towns. He has averaged 44.7 fantasy points per game so far this postseason.
$6,100-$8,000 salaries
OG Anunoby, PF, Knicks ($7,600): Anunoby has been productive this postseason thanks to a well-rounded statistical profile. He has scored at least 26 fantasy points in four consecutive games while playing at least 27 minutes in each of them. Anunoby could also help the Knicks offensively if Brunson commands additional defensive attention in Game 2.
Julian Champagnie, SF/PF, Spurs ($6,600): Champagnie’s production can swing, but he has averaged 34.2 fantasy points per game over the last four. He has also shot well from beyond the arc, and the Knicks seem comfortable giving him corner and wing looks. Champagnie has made at least three triples in eight playoff games this postseason.
$1,500-$5,900 salaries
Dylan Harper, PG/SG, Spurs ($5,600): Harper has been phenomenal for the Spurs over the last three games, scoring at least 25 fantasy points in each. He also posted his sixth game of the postseason with at least 15 points on 60% shooting, the most by a rookie in the playoffs since field goal percentage was tracked in 1957. Harper has played at least 27 minutes in each of the last two games and should remain involved in the rotation with De’Aaron Fox not appearing fully healed from his ankle injury. He is also a strong captain option at this salary.
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