Besides the NBA Finals, Christmas Day is when the lights are brightest on the NBA’s superstars. Jalen Brunson lives for that pressure.
Wednesday’s five-game slate will tip off with a matinee a block and a half off Broadway, where the New York Knicks will host the San Antonio Spurs. America’s biggest market is, of course, a Christmas mainstay — it’ll be New York’s league-leading 57th game on the holiday — while the Spurs will play on Christmas for the first time since 2016.
While most eyes will be trained on the big man battle between Karl-Anthony Towns and Victor Wembanyama, the golden star atop the Knicks’ figurative Christmas tree is point guard Jalen Brunson. The man who earned New York’s first captain role in six seasons has averaged 24.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game on blistering 49-43-81 shooting splits, making him a virtual shoo-in to make his second All-Star appearance in February.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Knicks are nine-point favorites and the point total is set to 224. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite Brunson prop bet for those looking to get in on the Christmas Day action.
Best Jalen Brunson Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Jalen Brunson O24.5 Points (-110)
Because New York has one of the most talented and most well-rounded starting lineups in basketball, head coach Tom Thibodeau runs a relatively egalitarian offense that does not rely on Brunson quite as much as it did last season, as his usage rate dropped from 32.5% last season to merely 28.6% this season after the arrival of Towns. The southpaw has had a lot of massive scoring performances, including a 39-point outburst on December 21 against the Pelicans, but he’s also had seven games under 20 points, a lot for a player of his ilk.
Thankfully for Brunson, the offense will probably run through him on Wednesday, given the presence of Wembanyama, the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Towns hasn’t faced a lot of resistance this year in the interior, leading the league in rebounding and scoring 5.7 points on 5.4 paint touches per game, the fourth-best efficiency among 35 players who have played at least 20 games and recorded at least five paint touches per game. However, against Wembanyama, opponents shoot 13.6% worse than usual within six feet of the basket, and Towns averaged just 20.7 points per game in three games against the Spurs last season.
With a perimeter threat as lethal as Brunson, there’s no reason for the Knicks to challenge Wembanyama at the rim. In his two games against New York last season, Wembanyama struggled to contain Brunson, who burned the Spurs twice with a barrage of threes. In a four-point San Antonio win on March 29, Brunson had the finest game of his career, a 61-point masterpiece in which he hit five of his 13 threes.
Brunson won’t post the 49.1% usage rate that he did in that game — given this Knicks team’s depth and talent — and it’s obviously unfair to expect another 60-piece from him, but Thibodeau leaning a little more on him and a little less on Towns is just sound basketball strategy.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
