The NBA Finals open tonight as Mikal Bridges and the New York Knicks challenge the San Antonio Spurs. It has been a relatively clear path for the Knicks to this point, as they enter this matchup coming off back-to-back series sweeps. In contrast, San Antonio is coming off a grueling seven-game series against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. After a tough start to the postseason, Bridges has settled into his proper role and been a major piece for New York. They will need this same level of impact to carry over with the championship on the line.
Looking at the odds for the NBA Finals opener, the Spurs enter as 4.5-point favorites and hold -185 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Knicks hold +154 odds of pulling off the outright upset, with the game total set at 218.5.
Let’s dive into my favorite Mikal Bridges player props for the Game 1 NBA Finals contest.
Best Mikal Bridges prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Mikal Bridges Over 1.5 Made Three-Pointers (-122)
The ironman of this Knicks team, Mikal Bridges suited up for all 82 games this regular season for the seventh time in his career. His role has shifted a bit across the year, with there being some growing pains as the Mike Brown system took full effect. Bridges felt the ups and downs as much as anyone and posted overall averages of 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists across the regular season. The Villanova product shot 37.1% from beyond the three-point arc on 5.1 perimeter shots per game. Bridges averaged 1.9 made three-pointers per contest and made over 1.5 three-pointers in 47 of his 82 games played.
Since the playoffs kicked off, Bridges is posting averages of 14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He is shooting 34.1% from the perimeter this postseason, but has seen his volume go down to 3.1 long-range shots per game. It felt like there was a real breaking point for Bridges during the opening series of the playoffs. He was held scoreless in Game 3 against the Hawks and then limited to just 19:19 of action in the following matchup. To his credit, Bridges took the criticism and gotten back to playing his best basketball. He played 39+ minutes in the opening three games against the Cavaliers and likely would have reached this number in the closeout matchup had it not been for the blowout.
New York is back to counting on Bridges as a foundational member of the team, so expect this to carry into tonight. Looking at this matchup specifically, expect the Knicks to make it a clear priority to attack from the perimeter. Victor Wembanyama’s defensive presence will be a factor on every possession, and the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year alters shots at a greater rate than arguably any player in NBA history. New York will be looking to make it a clear priority in the series opener to attack from deep and benefit from the effects of stretching out the defense moving forward. Count on Bridges being a major part of this effort and knocking down over 1.5 triples tonight. Even amidst his struggles, the former All-Defensive team member has made two or more three-pointers in five postseason games. Count on him benefiting from the game plan and being ready to let it fly from the perimeter tonight.
Mikal Bridges Under 14.5 Points (-123)
While the pathway to him hitting a pair of three-pointers is clear, this does not feel like a series made for Bridges to have a ton of offensive opportunities. Even as the supporting cast has improved around him, the identity of this organization is still fully on the shoulders of Jalen Brunson. This is especially the case in tight matchups and late-game opportunities. While the blowout wins in the previous two rounds distorted the stats a bit and allowed the team to play completely free, expect things to tighten up tonight with the weight of the NBA Finals stage and tough matchup in mind.
Bridges averaged 11.7 field goal attempts and 5.1 three-point attempts across the regular season. In the playoffs, his output has regressed to 10.4 field goal attempts and 3.1 three-pointers. He is shooting an impressive 58.6% from the field, which is well above his career-best efficiency in the playoffs (48.4%) and across a regular season (54.3%). Expect some natural shooting regression, especially as he faces a Spurs team that finished the season third in defensive rating.
One of the biggest areas that Bridges has shined in this postseason is his IQ as a cutter. But Wembanyama’s monstrous frame and shot-blocking ability will take away plenty of these opportunities simply by being there. New York has a hierarchy of offensive options, and Bridges will continue to take a backseat to players like Brunson and Towns. He has been held to 10 or fewer FGA in seven of the 14 postseason games, and this will be the most difficult matchup to this point. There are still plenty of ways that Bridges can make an impact in this series, but this is a tough matchup for his scoring output.
