Entering the season, there were a whole host of possibilities surrounding the New York Knicks, given their failure in the Eastern Conference Finals last season and their championship expectations. Karl-Anthony Towns, acquired in the 2024 offseason to be the team’s missing piece, found himself in sporadic trade rumors, mostly as the centerpiece of a potential deal for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
For now, though, everything is good in the Big Apple, especially for the Big Bodega. He hasn’t had a great Eastern Conference Finals so far, but the Knicks are up 2-0 over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Towns is having the best postseason run of his career. He’ll hope to continue that tonight, when Game 3 tips off in Cleveland at 8:10 p.m. ET.
New York is a 2.5-point underdog for tonight’s clash at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set to 215.5. Below, I’ve detailed my favorite prop bet centered around Towns for those looking to get in on the action.
Best Karl-Anthony Towns Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Karl-Anthony Towns 13+ Rebounds (+103)
Though Towns hasn’t been quite as dynamic as a scorer or a passer as he was in the first two rounds, he’s still gobbled up the boards, snagging 13 in each game. That should be relatively sustainable, as he’s averaged 23.5 rebound chances per game so far this series after averaging 14.5 per game across the first two series. The increased opportunity is partially a function of his matchup; he’s mostly guarded Evan Mobley, who offers less stretchability than Onyeka Okongwu and Joel Embiid, his primary assignments in the prior two series, so more possessions hovering around the basket defensively means more rebound chances.
In general, the Cavaliers are a good rebounding team, but that’s largely because guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are excellent rebounders for their positions. Towns has 33 pounds on Mobley and three inches on Allen. Plus, Cleveland has done an excellent job fouling Towns’ backup, Mitchell Robinson, as he’s just two-for-12 from the free throw line so far this series and has played only 26 minutes. Since Robinson’s accuracy from the charity stripe has been a major issue, Mike Brown has had no choice but to play Towns heavy minutes, and he’s averaged nearly 15 more minutes per game than he did in the second round. Towns has also been tremendous defensively this series, holding Mobley and Jarrett Allen to a combined four-for-19 from the field, which should give him easy boards.
