The New York Knicks (1-0) and San Antonio Spurs (0-1) will square off in Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The game will broadcast live on ABC.
The Spurs are 6.5-point favorites over the Knicks on the spread (Spurs -6.5), with the over/under set at 214.5 total points. San Antonio is a -220 moneyline favorite to win outright, while New York is +180 to pull off the upset.
Can the Knicks bing and bong their way to their 13th straight playoff win and take a commanding 2-game lead ahead of the first Finals game at Madison Square Garden in 27 years? Let's get to my Knicks vs. Spurs predictions and NBA Finals Game 2 picks for Friday, June 5.
Knicks vs Spurs Prediction for Game 2
- Knicks vs Spurs picks: Spurs -6.5 (-105) + 5 Player Props
My Spurs vs. Knicks Game 2 best bets are on San Antonio to cover the spread (-6.5) and five players props. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Knicks vs Spurs Odds for NBA Finals Game 2
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -115 | 214.5 -112o / -108u | +180 |
| Spurs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -105 | 214.5 -112o / -108u | -220 |
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Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals Game 2 Preview
New York Knicks Betting Preview, Analysis
The Knicks simply refuse to lose. It’s been 12 straight wins for New York, as they managed to take Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Spurs a few night ago.
Jalen Brunson delivered in the clutch during a absolute rock fight in Game 1 where both teams heavily struggled from the field.
The Knicks can absolutely play better in Game 2, too. They left a ton of production on the table in the opener, but Brunson clearly found his comfort zone late by hunting and attacking Julian Champagnie and Carter Bryant on switches.
This New York team looks like an absolute juggernaut right now.
San Antonio Spurs Betting Preview, Analysis
Victor Wembanyama and company have their backs against the wall at home in Game 2 tonight, facing a potentially devastating 0-2 deficit if they can’t become the first team to halt the Knicks' onslaught since late April.
I don’t think the Spurs’ offensive process was great in Game 1, and I’m not entirely sold that they have seamless tactical counters. There are minor execution details they can improve on, and there are key shots they will likely make at a higher clip, but they have their work cut out for them.
The Spurs somehow managed to win the glass with more offensive rebounds but lost the second-chance points battle by nine. They also logged more fast-break points, but still failed to score efficiently in transition, averaging a meager 0.84 points per possession in Game 1 via Synergy.
This is the crucial takeaway: the Spurs created more total possessions off offensive rebounds than the Knicks but couldn’t cash in on them, and they generated more fast-break opportunities by getting downhill but couldn’t score efficiently enough to sustain their halfcourt offense.
The shot variance game goes both ways here. The Spurs shot a miserable 10-of-38 (26 percent) on catch-and-shoot jumpers, while the Knicks shot 5-of-27 (18.5 percent) on jump-shots off the dribble. Both teams can point to some serious regression being due.
San Antonio has two clear paths to a better offensive rating in Game 2: they must score better in transition—which is highly likely after Devin Vassell missed four transition threes despite shooting 40 percent on them in the playoffs—and Champagnie will need to stay aggressive.
If they can execute, their halfcourt offense should naturally generate more looks at the rim based on how much defensive attention the Knicks are sending at Wembanyama on the perimeter.
Knicks vs Spurs Picks, Betting Analysis
Spurs -6.5 (-105)
In the last 23 NBA Finals, the home team has only lost outright as a favorite four times. Following those rare instances, the home favorite bounced back to win Game 2 all four times while going 3-0-1 ATS, covering the number by an average of eight points per game.
Now, that’s a tiny sample size because it just doesn’t happen a lot, but typically, the home team crushes in this exact scenario.
Top-two seeds going up against non-top-two seeds as home favorites off a loss in Game 1, after the first round, are a dominant 27-9 SU and 21-14-1 (60%) ATS in Game 2.
I, of course, backed the Spurs in Game 1 because of the historical trend dictating that teams with a better regular-season point differential at home in the opener were 17-2 SU.
Obviously, that trend didn't matter in the face of the Knicks’ mystical power, but the situational spot and the likelihood of some key offensive adjustments from the Spurs get me right back on San Antonio in Game 2 tonight.
I don’t love fading the Knicks at all anymore, but this is absolutely the spot to back San Antonio before New York comes back and drops the hammer at home in Game 3.
As for the total, no thanks, not after last game. This is an over-or-nothing spot for me, but I can’t seem to get a proper handle on the Spurs' totals at all. They fly over the number against the top defense in the league in the Thunder, and then stay under against a Knicks' defense that wasn’t even top-five this season. What can you do?
Between the blown transition opportunities (which usually average around 1.2 points per possession but were 0.84 for the Spurs and 0.78 for the Knicks), the missed open uncontested three-pointers, the missed Brunson looks, and the empty put-back tries, there’s a ton of evidence for offensive regression.
You just won’t find me putting my money on it.
De'Aaron Fox Over 9.5 Rebounds & Assists (+114)
De'Aaron Fox has cleared this combined line 58 percent of the time throughout the playoffs and finished right at nine in Game 1.
That baseline came despite him logging 15 potential assists to just five actual conversions, alongside a high number of rebound chances.
He suffered a terrible individual shooting game, but the Spurs played completely even in his minutes.
Fox contributes in a wide variety of ways that directly correlate with steadying the halfcourt offense, generating quality looks, and tracking down loose balls to spark the transition game up the floor.
Landry Shamet Over 1.5 Three-Pointers Made (-150)
Landry Shamet is likely to play heavy minutes (30) again like he did in the series opener.
I simply do not think this is a good matchup or a viable series for Miles McBride, which means Shamet is slated to secure the bulk of the backup guard minutes.
He consistently finds smart ways to contribute to the spacing and will continue to get his volume of threes up.
Victor Wembanyama Over 27.5 Points (+100) / Over 2.5 Three-Pointers Made (-155)
The Spurs' turnaround starts directly with Wembanyama.
Nine of Wembanyama’s 33 individual possessions (shot, score, or foul) came in transition in Game 1, representing 27 percent of his usage.
On top of that, he recorded seven spot-up possessions, meaning nearly half of his overall offensive output came in transition or on spot-ups.
Karl-Anthony Towns did a phenomenal job battling him inside and avoiding silly fouls, but Wembanyama needs to be way more aggressive in the halfcourt.
He typically responds in exactly that way after disappointing games, and there were far more interior opportunities available than he actually took in Game 1.
Head-to-Head Assists: Josh Hart Over Stephon Castle (+208)
This bet cashed in Game 1, and I am going right back to it again in Game 2 tonight.
Stephon Castle logged 14 potential assists in Game 1, which is a terrifying number on the surface, but I honestly think that production was a bit of a statistical outlier.
Castle will continue to look to get downhill to hunt his own floaters, and the Knicks are fully committed to preventing Wembanyama from catching easy lobs in pick-and-roll sets, tagging him over the top every single time.
Castle simply doesn’t have the advanced reads yet to come off the pick and find open shooters in his blind spots.
Hart, meanwhile, consistently grabs offensive rebounds and kicks them out to the perimeter, makes plays pushing out in transition, and can fluidly function as a playmaker with the ball in his hands.
Julian Champagnie Over 2.5 Three-Pointers Made (-105)
I gave out this bet right after Game 1, and I am genuinely surprised that oddsmakers haven't moved this line to scare people off after his five-triple performance in the opener.
Yes, his attempts dropped off in the second half, but that was a direct cause-and-effect of the Spurs’ overall offensive regression.
If you consistently rush your looks in transition, you aren't going to work the ball to the open man on the perimeter, who is usually Champagnie.
If the young guards try to score one-on-one like Castle and Dylan Harper did in the opener, they aren't going to kick to open shooters.
The coaching staff will continue to trust Champagnie within the offense, and he will continue to knock down these shots.
I like the escalator on his alternate triples all the way up to 6+ (+1000) as well.
Matt Moore's Knicks vs Spurs Best Bets for Game 2
- Spurs -6.5 (-105)
- De'Aaron Fox Over 9.5 Rebounds & Assists (+114)
- Landry Shamet Over 1.5 Three-Pointers Made (-150)
- Victor Wembanyama Over 27.5 Points (+100) / Over 2.5 Three-Pointers Made (-155)
- Head-to-Head Assists: Josh Hart Over Stephon Castle (+208)
- Julian Champagnie Over 2.5 Three-Pointers Made (-105)
