The Knicks are taking on the Celtics in New York on Tuesday night. Here are the best player props to consider for Jalen Brunson on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Jalen Brunson Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
The Knicks are 1.5-point favorites against the Celtics, with an o/u of 222 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are the latest lines for Brunson on DraftKings Sportsbook: o/u 24.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 three-pointers.
The NBA regular season is winding down, but there is one more heavyweight clash between the Knicks and Celtics before the postseason. The Celtics are on fire heading into the playoffs, having won 11 of their past 12 games. The Knicks are also playing well, having won seven of their past nine games. Things looked a bit nervy for the Knicks for a couple of weeks as they navigated the waters without their leader, Jalen Brunson. However, the Knicks found their footing, and Brunson returned just in time for this team to find their rhythm before the postseason. The Celtics are four games behind the Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with just four games left to play, so it would take a catastrophic collapse by Cleveland to lose that number one seed. Meanwhile, the Knicks lead the Pacers by three games for the three seed in the Eastern Conference with four games left to play, so they also likely need to win just one or two of their remaining games to secure that three seed.
All of that is setting up a potential playoff series between the Knicks and Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. If the teams finish in their current positions, which they are expected to do, then both win their opening round playoff series, they would face off for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics would feel very confident going into that series. Not only would they have the home-court advantage, but they have dominated the Knicks this season. In their three previous head-to-head meetings, the Celtics are 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 21 points per game. This matchup is the Knicks’ final chance to try to crack the Celtics’ code before potentially facing them in a postseason series.
Jalen Brunson made his return to the court on Sunday night against the Suns. Exactly a month after injuring his ankle against the Lakers, Brunson played 34 minutes against Phoenix. There was a thought that Brunson could be on more of a minutes restriction, but the Knicks clearly waited until he was back to 100% health to bring him back, which allowed him to play most of the game. Brunson will still need to ramp up to the full 48 minutes he will likely be playing in the postseason, but he looked completely healthy in that game against the Suns. However, Brunson did look a bit timid offensively, working more as a distributor than a scorer. Brunson only attempted nine field goals, a very low number compared to the 26 field goals he attempted against the Lakers in the game where he got injured.
My favorite prop for this game is for Jalen Brunson to have over 5.5 assists. Brunson’s absence over the last few weeks has caused players like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby to step up to the plate and be more aggressive as scorers on offense. As Brunson works his way back up to regular game intensity, he should continue to work more as a distributor running the offense than the guy taking 25 shots a game. In the past, Brunson has tried to beat the Celtics on his own, which is nearly impossible with their great perimeter defenders. If Brunson can drive into the paint, then kick it out to Bridges, Hart, Anunoby, or Towns, they should be able to get some good looks. Brunson cleared this number in his first game back from injury and should do so again in this big matchup against the Celtics.
