After securing the most improbable comeback win in NBA Finals history, the Knicks are just one win away from basketball glory.
The Knicks own a 3-1 series lead in the Finals with the Game 5 scheduled for Saturday night in San Antonio, but sportsbooks aren’t expecting a coronation on the road for the cardiac Knicks.
Oddsmakers installed the Spurs as 5.5-point favorites for Game 5, the same amount of points they were favored by in Games 1 and 2, respectively, before they lost both contests.
The Game 5 line is yet another example that sportsbooks see the Knicks as the lesser team despite the series score.
The Knicks were just 2.5-point favorites at Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4, respectively.
Outside of Game 1, which the Knicks won by 10 points, every game has been within single digits, including two one-point victories.
Game 2 finished 105-104 and Game 3 ended 115-114.
The Knicks’ 107-106 win Wednesday night snapped a three-game streak of road teams winning to open the NBA Finals, which had only happened once previously in the 1993 Finals between the Suns and Bulls.
History says the Knicks have an overwhelming strong chance to win this series.
Teams with a 3-1 lead in an NBA playoff series are 288-15 and in the NBA Finals they are 37-1.
That one series loss came from the Warriors against the Cavaliers in 2016, which is the hopeful outcome the Spurs will cling to heading back to San Antonio.
Betting on the NBA?
Some sportsbooks are also rooting for that outcome after a flood of bets has come in on the Knicks to win the series since the Finals started.
However, 20 of the previous 38 Finals series with a 3-1 lead ended in Game 5 and the Knicks have already proven they can win on the road.
They haven’t lost a road game since Game 3 in Atlanta in the first round and since Jalen Brunson joined the team for the 2022-23 season, the Knicks are an NBA-best 18-12 on the road in the playoffs.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
