The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers have played two low-scoring playoff games, which has sent some OVER bets on player props to die.
So, I’m changing my tune in this series and recommending a pair of UNDERs for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
Plus, Donovan Mitchell has thrived as a playmaker in this series and may be undervalued with his assist prop.
Let’s break down each pick:
Cavaliers vs. Knicks best NBA prop bets
- Donovan Mitchell OVER 5.5 Assists
- RJ Barrett UNDER 15.5 Points
- Quentin Grimes UNDER 1.5 3-Pointers Made
Donovan Mitchell OVER 5.5 Assists
Donovan Mitchell only averaged 4.4 assists per game in the regular season, but he’s been a willing passer, and a great one too, in this series.
Mitchell picked up eight dimes in Game 1 and followed that up with a 13-assist performance in Game 2.
The Knicks are doing everything they can on defense to slow Mitchell down, but that’s opened up shots for other players on the Cavs. After taking 30 shots in Game 1, Mitchell took a step back, taking just 11 shots and facilitating to a red-hot Darius Garland and Caris LeVert in Game 2.
5.5 is just too low of a number, especially with the big minutes Mitchell is playing.
RJ Barrett UNDER 15.5 Points
What in the world are the Knicks going to do about RJ Barrett?
Expected to be the third option behind Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, Barrett is shooting just 6-for-25 from the field in this series and averaging 10.5 points per game.
He hasn’t been able to make jump shots, and the Cavs are clogging the paint with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen every chance they get on defense.
Barrett hasn’t shot the 3 well all season, and I don’t expect him to turn things around in this series. Tom Thibodeau gave Barrett plenty of run in Game 2 (33:21) but he still failed to clear this number.
I can’t trust him, even at home, to have a big scoring game with how inefficient he’s been.
Quentin Grimes UNDER 1.5 3-Pointers Made
Quentin Grimes has to step up if the Knicks want to win this series, but so far he’s been non-existent on offense.
Through two games, Grimes has taken six shots, scoring nine total points. He’s going to play plenty of minutes for his defensive ability, but the moment has been too much for the youngster on offense so far.
Grimes is just 1-for-6 from 3 in the series, and unless he starts getting more looks, asking a slumping shooter to hit multiple shots from deep against the league’s best defense is too much.
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