NBA Finals Best Bets: Back Brunson, Knicks to Finish Off Spurs in Game 5

While the NBA Finals attract the attention of the basketball universe every June, that feels triplicated at the very least with the New York Knicks involved for the first time this millennium.

Now that the Knicks are one victory shy of earning their first championship in 53 years and coming off an historic rally to reach that point, interest stands at an apex.

Can the Knicks themselves be far behind?

Here’s wagering that New York sews things up in Game 5 tonight, as a usual suspect guides them to territory the franchise hasn’t sniffed in more than half a century.

Odds for the final NBA Best Bets of the season – unless I’m wrong, of course – are via BetMGM.

San Antonio squandered a 29-point lead Wednesday to lose Game 4 107-106.

An all-time Association collapse saw the Spurs score just 30 points after the break.

“Stopped moving the ball,” center Victor Wembanyama said. “Stopped executing.”

Another thing the Spurs didn’t do: Show restraint from beyond the arc down the stretch. After drilling a Finals-record 14 treys in the first half, San Antonio was just 3-for-17 in the second.

The Spurs are largely young and inexperienced but have held leads in the final two minutes of each of the first four Finals games nonetheless. Still, Wednesday felt like a back-breaker, even if Gregg Popovich still were in charge.

Instead, it’s Mitch Johnson, who has struggled to match up with Knicks counterpart Mike Brown even as Wembanyama flourishes in spots and Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and other members of a young backcourt step up.

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby propelled the Knicks Wednesday, combining for 69 points on 22-of-40 shooting. Getting more than 13 points from Karl-Anthony Towns would be ideal, but building upon his 10 boards and disciplined ‘D’ after a disastrous start should add up.

Knicks +5.5 (-115)

Brunson absorbed embraces from teammates, coaches and celebrities alike after the Game 4 bedlam. As the fellow son of a longtime “Law & Order” devotee, I especially appreciate his bond with actress Mariska Hargitay.

After the hugging subsided, though, Brunson essentially credited the K-I-S-S method – Keep It Simple, Silly – for vaulting New York past an unprecedented deficit.

“We found a way to really just continue to do the things that helped us get to this point,” he said.

That’s stable, if not Stabler (dun-dun), and a snapshot of the precision and toughness the Knicks can channel even when they seemingly are spiraling out of control.

With a chance to further cement himself as a contemporary Knicks icon, Brunson doesn’t back down.

Jalen Brunson 30+ points (+115)

Admittedly exhausted and potentially compromised by the one flagrant foul that separates him from a one-game suspension, Wembanyama could wilt tonight under the heaviest intensity of his young career.

It’s not likely, but he could.

Instead, look for him to pack the paint almost exclusively and be a factor around the boards. While there’s no prop for how many times “Wemby” gets away with murder, this one for rebounding seems solid.

Victor Wembanyama 13+rebounds (+150)