The New York Knicks are two wins away from their first NBA championship in over half a century, and they’ll have the chance to inch closer tonight on the biggest stage in basketball: Madison Square Garden under the brightest of spotlights.
After stealing both games on the road in San Antonio to take a commanding 2-0 series lead, the Knicks bring the NBA Finals back to New York City on Monday night for the first time since 1999, when a young Spurs franchise led by Tim Duncan and David Robinson dispatched the eighth-seeded Knicks in five games. Twenty-seven years later, it’s the Knicks who hold all the cards.
Game 2 will haunt the Spurs for a long time. With the score knotted at 104 in the final seconds, Victor Wembanyama grabbed a rebound off a missed Jalen Brunson jumper and turned to push the ball up the floor. Instead, he threw it directly into the back of teammate Stephon Castle. Brunson scooped up the loose ball, drew a foul from Wembanyama, and sank the go-ahead free throw with 9.5 seconds left. The Spurs still had a chance in the end, but Wembanyama’s jumper clanked off the front of the rim at the buzzer. A game that could have evened the series instead sent New York home with a decisive lead.
Now, the scene shifts to Monday night at The Mecca, and it should be something out of a movie – ticket prices have shattered records and A-listers will be scattered throughout Celebrity Row. The Garden hasn’t hosted a Finals game in over two decades, and the energy from a fanbase that has waited 53 years for a championship will be deafening to say the least.
For the Spurs, the math is unforgiving. No team in NBA history has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit. A loss tonight wouldn’t just put San Antonio on the brink of elimination; it would put them on the wrong side of history. Whether they can handle the pressure of a hostile MSG crowd with their season hanging in the balance is another question entirely.
Knicks vs. Spurs Game 3 Odds
Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook lists the Knicks as 1.5-point home favorites for Game 3:
- Point Spread: Knicks -1.5 (-115), Spurs +1.5 (+100)
- Moneyline: Knicks (-125), Spurs (+110)
- Total: Over 216.5 (-105), Under 216.5 (-115)
NBA Finals Series Odds Heading Into Game 3
The script has flipped dramatically since series prices first opened last week. Hard Rock Bet now has the Knicks tabbed as heavy -500 favorites to win the championship, with the Spurs sitting at +375. The Spurs entered the Finals as heavy -190 favorites on the back of Wembanyama’s dominance with home-court advantage in their back pocket, but neither has held up through two games.
Best Bet for Game 3
Our best bet for Game 3 is powered by Hard Rock Bet’s Stats Hub, where you can explore countless streaks, trends and insights to help shape your bets. Check it out under the ‘Stats Hub’ tab at the top of your homepage on mobile or desktop.
New York Knicks ML (-125): As New York prepares to host a historic NBA Finals game tonight at the World’s Most Famous Arena, it’ll mark 46 days since the last time the Knicks lost a basketball game. Since falling into an uncharacteristic 2-1 hole against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks have ripped off 13 consecutive victories, most of which have come in dominant fashion. They’ve already shown they can hang with the Spurs by jumping out to a 2-0 series lead on the road and will now return home, where they went 30-10 in the regular season – good for the second-highest home winning percentage in the Eastern Conference. At this short of a price, it’s worth a stab considering their recent run, stellar record at home, and a crowd that should be one for the ages.
Top 5 Most-Bet Player Props for NYK-SAS
The player prop market for Game 3 features heavy action on the biggest stars in the series:
- Victor Wembanyama – Over 24.5 Points
- Karl-Anthony Towns – Over 24.5 Points
- Stephon Castle – Over 12.5 Points
- Victor Wembanyama – Over 1.5 Threes Made
- Jalen Brunson – Over 26.5 Points
Updated NBA Finals MVP Odds
The Finals MVP race has tightened considerably after two games. Jalen Brunson is the current favorite at -110, a nod to his clutch play down the stretch of both wins. Karl-Anthony Towns is right behind him at +175, and with his elite two-way production against Wembanyama, he has a legitimate case to overtake Brunson if the Knicks close this out quickly. Victor Wembanyama sits at +400 – he’d likely need to lead San Antonio on an unprecedented comeback to claim the award. After those three, every other player in the series is listed at 150-1 or longer.
NBA Finals Game 3 Info
- 📍 Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- 📅 Date: Monday, June 8
- ⏰ Start Time: 8:30 PM ET
- 📺💻 TV/Streaming: ABC
All referenced odds are subject to change.
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