Knicks: 3 reasons why you must bet on NY to win series tied 1-1

The New York Knickslooked bad in Game 2 of their 2023 NBA Playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks lost 107-90 and the game wasn’t close for the final three quarters. Now, Knicks-Cavs Game 3 moves to Madison Square Garden, and the winner will take an all-important 2-1 lead when the final buzzer sounds.

While we’ll know a lot more about this series after Friday night, now is the time to put a bet on the Knicks to win the series while they are still a +116 underdog to move on, according to FanDuel. Here are the three reasons why.

3. Game 2 was an outlier

The Cavaliers Game 1 loss was a lot worse than the Knicks Game 2 defeat. In the first game, both teams played well, and the Knicks came away with a four-point win. The stars shined bright, with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson scoring 19 and 27 points, respectively, while Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland went for 38 and 17.

This was the type of close game we all expected in this series, and the Knicks’ talent, experience, and defense won out in the end. It was an excellent NBA playoffs win.

Game 2 was a different story.

The game started as a tight battle once again, with the Cavs taking a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter. However, the second quarter was a disaster for New York. The away team played over five minutes of the second quarter before they got their first basket, and Garland poured in 15 of his game-high 32 in that second stanza.

At the half of the second Knicks-Cavs game, the home team was up by 20 and cruised to the easy win from there.

It’s highly unlikely the Knicks Game 3 (or any game from here on out) will feature the cold shooting from the second quarter of Game 2. This means the Knicks can chalk this last game up to tough luck and move on with the knowledge that when both teams played well, they were better.

2. The Knicks already did what they had to do in Cleveland

They say an NBA playoffs series doesn’t start until the home team loses a game. Well, the Knicks-Cavs series started after Game 1, then when the Knicks stole a game on the road.

And in the end, that’s all New York set out to do on their trip to Ohio. With the Game 1 win, the Knicks flipped the home-court advantage and gave themselves a chance to win the series if they can defend their home court.
The even better Knicks news is that even if the Cavaliers can take a game at MSG, the Knicks has a much better home-road split this season than their opponents.

New York was 23-18 at home this season and actually an even better 24-17 on the road. On the flip side, Cleveland had one of the best home records in the league, going 31-10 on their own court. However, the team had a losing record on the road, going 20-21 away from their building.

Based on how they’ve played this season, there’s a much better chance that Knicks either defend their home court or steal another one on the road than the Cavs flipping the advantage back in their favor.

This is the second reason that you want to bet on New York ahead of the Knicks-Cavs Game 3 on Friday.

1. You’ll make more money

Sure, there are several basketball-related reasons why the bet ahead of Knicks-Cavs Game 3 should be for the Knicks to win this NBA playoffs series. That said, the best reason might be that you will make more money by taking the Knicks.

This is a 4-seed vs. a 5-seed matchup between teams that were separated by just four games after each played 82 tilts during the regular season. Before the series started, chances were this game was going to go six or seven games.

Now that the Knicks-Cavs series is deadlocked at one game apiece, the chances of a long, close series still exists.

So, if this series is ultimately still a coin-flip situation, why not bet on the team that gives you more value? The Knicks are +116 to win the series, while the Cavs are -134. That means whatever bet you put on the Knicks to move on to the next round, you’ll get it back and then some if you do.

A bet on the Cavaliers to move on in the NBA playoffs won’t even double your wager. This might be the best reason to throw a few shekels on the Knicks because if they come out ahead in the Knicks-Cavs Game 3, you likely won’t be able to get those series odds anymore.