To move forward in the NBA timeline, first we must look backwards. These two teams last shared the basketball world’s biggest stage in the 1999 NBA Finals, when San Antonio dismantled New York in five games to begin the Spurs’ dynasty. The Knicks have failed to make it back to the Finals since that last appearance 27 years ago, and their last title dates all the way back to 1973. A lot is on the line here for New York, namely, a chance for this team to immortalize itself forever in Knicks history.
For the Spurs, it’s not nearly as significant. San Antonio has been to the Finals six times and have won five titles, so this franchise is no stranger to success. The Spurs’ draw is that their team is extraordinarily young, featuring top weapons among the likes of French prodigy Victor Wembanyama, rookie Dylan Harper, and the bulldog, Stephon Castle.
Here are some of the best Stephon Castle prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s matchup:
Best Stephon Castle Prop Bets
18+ Points (+102):
My optimism for Castle scoring 18+ tonight lies not in his historical performance against the Knicks in the regular season, but rather in what we’re watching him become over the course of the playoffs. It’s his first taste of postseason basketball and he’s averaging 19.2 PPG and repeatedly delivering when the Spurs need offense outside of Victor Wembanyama.
In the WCF against OKC, Castle recovered from early-series turnover struggles by picking his spots better, which led to his scoring becoming cleaner.
He posted 16 points in a massive Game 7 clincher in the biggest game of his life, and I’m willing to bet that he comes out strong again in what will now be the next biggest game of his life. If the Knicks load up on Wemby with OG Anunoby and their backline, it will open the way for Castle to punish them.
Under 1.5 Threes (-133):
Castle is not a prolific three point shooter, and especially not against this team. In two regular season appearances, Castle cashed just 1/6 triples while shooting poorly in both games with a combined 6/22 across both games. Castle also only hit for one three in the NBA Cup final against the Spurs on December 16th, which was not counted as a regular-season game. Regardless, his track record offers little to suggest that he’ll overachieve tonight in this department, and I’m not exactly expecting Castle to light it up from deep. His team needs him to slash, defend, and create open looks, not to space the floor; they have other options for that.
