In college, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges played together and won a national title at Villanova. They love going back to Philadelphia, but the city's NBA fans are growing tired of them. The Knicks have won seven straight games in Philadelphia, and an eighth would end the 76ers' season.
Meanwhile, the Spurs and Timberwolves series pits two of the league's brightest young stars in Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards. Wembanyama got the better of the two on Friday night as the Spurs took a 2-1 lead. However, Edwards' performance also caused Terrence Shannon Jr. to fade into the background. That may continue to be the case tonight.
Let's get into my NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide for Sunday, May 10.
NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide: Sunday, May 10
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NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide for Knicks-76ers
The Angle: "Nova Knicks" End 76ers' Season
Jalen Brunson 25+ Points
Through the first three games of this series, Brunson has scored 35, 26, and 33 points. He is averaging 31.3 points in the series on 52/37/92 shooting splits. Brunson is now averaging 34.1 points per game in his last nine playoff games against the 76ers.
Brunson is an Eagles fan and having played his college ball in Philadelphia, he certainly loves the city. He seems to carry that with him when he returns to town. Brunson has scored 30 points in five of his last seven games in Philadelphia while averaging 36.4 points per game. The 76ers just have not had many answers for him.
Given that Brunson plays 35+ minutes with over a 30% usage rate, 25 points should be fairly safe for him to reach. He has scored 25 points in eight of his last 10 games. However, the opportunity is also there for him to reach his ladder as well.
Pick: Jalen Brunson 25+ Points
The Contrarian SGP: Knicks Overs, George Over
Mikal Bridges 15+ Points
Brunson is not the only former Villanova Wildcat who has been shooting well of late. Bridges had an up-and-down series against the Hawks, but in the Game 6 closeout game, he scored 24 points on 10-for-12 from the field. He has now scored 15 points in each of his last four games.
Bridges has not been with the Knicks as long as Brunson and Hart, but he has his own history with the 76ers. A Philadelphia native, Bridges was drafted by the 76ers in the 2018 NBA Draft, but they traded his rights to the Suns on draft night. That may give him a chip on his shoulder whenever he plays the 76ers.
He has scored 15 points in 10 of his last 15 games against the 76ers while averaging 17.7 points per game. In this series, he is averaging 19.3 points per game while shooting 65% from the field. While he is due for some regression, most of his shots this series have either been wide open or from his usual spots. If that continues, he should get 15 to 18 points again.
Pick: Mikal Bridges 15+ Points
Josh Hart 8+ Rebounds
Usually, Hart is the forward on the Knicks that you think of when it comes to piling up rebounds, but OG Anunoby had stepped up in that regard. However, Anunoby suffered a hamstring strain in Game 2 and is questionable for today's game. Given the Knicks' commanding lead in the series, they may not want to rush him back too soon.
Regardless of whether Anunoby plays, I like Hart for eight rebounds. In the playoffs, Hart is averaging nine rebounds per game and he has recorded eight rebounds in six of nine games. That includes two of the first three games in this series and he pulled down 11 rebounds in Game 3.
Hart has also been particularly active on the glass against the 76ers. He has recorded eight rebounds in 16 of his last 20 games against them while averaging 11.9 per game, with seven of nine of them being playoff games.
While the Knicks have added more size and rebounding over the last few years, Hart is still averaging 13.7 rebound chances per game in the playoffs. Converting 62% of them today will get him to eight today.
Pick: Josh Hart 8+ Rebounds
Paul George 15+ Points
Paul George had one of the most peculiar games you'll ever see and one bettors will not forget on Friday night. He started 6-for-9 from the field and scored 15 points in the first quarter. However, he missed his last nine shots and finished with 15 points, going under his 17.5 points line. This isn't the first time in this series or postseason that George has started fast before tailing off in the second half, though it was even more surprising with the Knicks being without Anunoby.
However, I am going back to George here because he has consistently gotten to his points. He has scored 13 points in every game this postseason and reached 15 points in nine of 10 games. He is averaging 17.3 points per game in the playoffs and 17.9 points in his last 11 games against the Knicks. If George does do all of his scoring in the first half again, at least this will be one leg that we can cross off early in this parlay.
Pick: Paul George 15+ Points
Same Game Parlay Building Blocks (+451)
- Jalen Brunson 25+ Points
- Mikal Bridges 15+ Points
- Paul George 15+ Points
- Josh Hart 8+ Rebounds
Compounding Angle (+2284)
- Jalen Brunson 30+ Points
- Mikal Bridges 18+ Points
- Paul George 15+ Points
- Josh Hart 10+ Rebounds
NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide for Spurs-Timberwolves
The Angle: Shannon Fades, Edwards Reclaims Star Role
Anthony Edwards 25+ Points
Edwards gave the Timberwolves a jolt of energy in Game 1 as he scored 18 points in Game 1 off the bench. However, he still finished under his points line and he did not come close to going over his line in the blowout in Game 2. Edwards was back in the starting lineup for Game 3 and looked closer to his usual form. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and finished with 32 points for the game.
It was Edwards' second 30-point game of the playoffs after he scored 30 points 32 times in the regular season. Two of those games were against the Spurs as he scored 32 and 55 points. Edwards has scored 25 points in eight of his last 14 games against the Spurs while averaging 26.4 points per game.
Edwards played 40 minutes and went 12-for-26 from the field. He was back to his usual self and now his team is in a must-win situation looking to avoid a 1-3 deficit in the series. Given the competitor that Edwards is, expect him to come out firing.
Pick: Anthony Edwards 25+ Points
The Contrarian SGP: Edwards Over, Shannon Under, Full-Game Under
Terrence Shannon Jr. Under 10.5 Points
When Edwards went down with an injury, Shannon was ready to step up. He scored 12 points in four straight games and dating back to the regular season, he has averaged 15.9 points per game over his last 10 games. However, Shannon's best games came while Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu were out. Edwards returned in Game 1 and Dosunmu returned in Game 2.
In 13 games with Edwards and Dosunmu available this season, Shannon has averaged just 5.4 points per game and scored 11 points just three times. Shannon played 28 minutes with both of them back on Friday night, but he had just a 9.8% usage rate. He did not score in the first half and finished with five points.
Shannon went back to the bench with Edwards moving to the starting lineup again. If Edwards is back to operating as Minnesota's No.1 option, opportunities for Shannon are limited. Additionally, there are other players in the pecking order such as Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Dosunmu.
Pick: Terrence Shannon Jr. Under 10.5 Points
Victor Wembanyama 12+ Rebounds
In Game 3, Wembanyama seemed to do whatever he wanted. He went 13-for-18 from the field and scored 39 points to go along with 15 rebounds and five blocks. He became the 4th player in NBA history to record 35 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks in a playoff game and by the way, that was just the second road playoff game of his career.
Despite the dominant effort, it is just his third game over 20 points this postseason. What he has done best this postseason is rebound, which you might expect from the tallest player on the floor. He has pulled down 12 rebounds in each of his last five games while averaging 14.2 per game.
Wembanyama has recorded 15 rebounds in each of his last three games. He has averaged 20.6 rebound chances over his last five games while playing 34 minutes a game. In a game where points may be at a premium, Wembanyama should have several rebound chances.
Pick: Victor Wembanyama 12+ Rebounds
Under 223.5
In the regular season, San Antonio was third in defensive rating while Minnesota was eighth. That has already been shown in this series, despite the over being 2-1. Game 1 had just 206 points, while the over cashed in Game 2 mostly because of the Spurs, as Minnesota scored just 95 points.
However, six of the last 10 meetings have had 224 points or fewer. There a few elite defenders on both sides with Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and Stephon Castle sharing the floor. I'm expecting that elite defense to be on full display tonight as the teams play a pivotal Game 4.
Pick: Under 223.5
Same Game Parlay Building Blocks (+467)
- Anthony Edwards 25+ Points
- Terrence Shannon Jr. Under 10.5 Points
- Victor Wembanyama 12+ Rebounds
- Under 223.5
Compounding Angle (+1200)
- Anthony Edwards 25+ Points
- Terrence Shannon Jr. Under 10.5 Points
- Victor Wembanyama 15+ Rebounds
- Under 223.5
