Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers could prove to be the decisive contest for the series. If the hosts fail to win, they will find themselves down 3-0, a deficit that no team has ever overcome in the NBA Playoffs. They have been a tough team to beat at home so far this postseason, winning 6 of their 7 games in Cleveland. With that in mind, expect the Cavaliers to put up a great fight tonight in front of their home fans.
You can find our NBA previews for every Conference Finals game here. But first, take a look at my player prop picks below.
Sam Merrill (CLE) under 1.5 rebounds (-110)
I tipped Sam Merrill to record under 1.5 rebounds in Game 2 of the series and he delivered, failing to collect a board in the contest. I expect more of the same in Game 3 of the series. Merrill has not recorded 2 or more rebounds in 10 of his last 11 games. He has also managed just 17 total rebounds in 15 postseason games. He struggled overall in the last game, with the Cavaliers being outscored by 8 points when he was on the floor, which could impact his playing time. Both teams have a lot of size inside and great rebounding guards like James Harden and Josh Hart. It should mean that there are not any boards to go around for Merrill, so take the under on him once more tonight.
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK) over 1.5 made threes (+125)
Karl-Anthony Towns has attempted 5 3-pointers in each of the first 2 games of this series. With the size of the Cavaliers frontcourt, Towns should continue to play a major role as a floor spacer. He has been efficient from beyond the arc this postseason, making 46.2% of his attempts. The Cavaliers have been 12th among all postseason teams in opponent 3-point percentage so might have issues slowing down Towns. The Knicks center improved his efficiency from deep this season on the road, going from 36.8% to 38.5%. If he sees a similar jump playing on the road in this series, it should not take many attempts for him to hit the over on this line. Back the over as a result.
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