The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will contest Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. All three matchups so far have been won by the road team, leaving New York with a 2-1 series advantage. The Knicks had a chance to seize a commanding 3-0 lead but lost at home on Monday.
Let’s dive into my Spurs vs. Knicks NBA Finals Game 4 prediction.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks odds
Money line: Spurs +115 / Knicks -135
Spread: Spurs +2.5 (-115) / Knicks -2.5 (-105)
Total: Over 216.5 (-110) / Under 216.5 (-110)
San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks best bet #1: Under 216.5 (-110)
Game 3 was a relatively high-scoring affair with 226 points scored, but there are reasons to think that order will be restored on Wednesday. It’s not like both teams were scoring on a consistent basis from start to finish on Monday. If not for the Knicks’ 42-point onslaught in the second quarter, another Under probably would have cashed. Encouraging for each team’s defense is that the fourth quarter produced a total of 43 points (a 23-20 margin in San Antonio’s favor).
This series began with a pair of low-scoring contests in San Antonio. New York took both, winning 105-95 in the opener and 105-104 in Game 2. The Knicks have allowed more than 108 points only twice in their entire playoff run and have held opponents to fewer than 100 points on five occasions. The Spurs have limited opponents to 105 points or fewer in five of their last seven games dating back to the Western Conference Finals against OKC.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks best bet #2: Stephon Castle first basket (+800)
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns somehow won the tip in Game 1, but — as you would expect — Spurs star Victor Wembanyama corralled it in both Game 2 and Game 3. Wemby is 7’4’’ with a wingspan of 8’0’’; Towns is 7’0’’ with a wingspan of 7’4’’. Unsurprisingly, San Antonio has won 78.6 percent of tipoffs this season; New York checks in at 51.5 percent in that department.
Assuming the visitors gain possession right away, Castle has great value to deliver the first basket. He has attempted the game’s first shot 13.6 percent of the time this season, which is fourth on the team but basically even with De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell (Wembanyama is way ahead at 27.0 percent). Castle should be extremely confident, too, following his Monday efforts. The former UConn standout went 8-for-14 from the field for 23 points. Castle has attempted at least 14 shots in four straight games dating back to the West finals.