Two wagers highlighted ahead of Knicks-Spurs NBA Cup final
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Las Vegas — The inaugural Emirates NBA Cup ends Tuesday night, and oddsmakers see two bets worth monitoring before the New York Knicks meet the San Antonio Spurs at T-Mobile Arena.
Game outlook
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. DraftKings Sportsbook lists New York as a 2.5-point favorite and a –142 choice on the money line, while San Antonio sits at +120.
Bet No. 1: Victor Wembanyama for Cup MVP (+400)
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama returned from a three-week calf injury to play 21 minutes in Saturday’s two-point semifinal win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the minutes restriction, the 7-foot-4 center made the biggest impact for San Antonio, prompting bookmakers to post him at +400 for tournament MVP. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson leads that market at –120.
Wembanyama has a track record against New York, scoring 40-plus points in each of his two previous games versus the Knicks. Over those meetings he averaged 41.0 points, 19.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, five three-pointers and four combined steals and blocks.
Bet No. 2: Karl-Anthony Towns over 21.5 points (–102)
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns is coming off a career-best season and is averaging 23.6 points on 54.5% shooting, including 44.2% from three-point range. The Spurs allow the fourth-most points to centers, and Towns has averaged 20.8 points in previous matchups with Wembanyama. His versatile inside-out game positions him to surpass the 21.5-point prop.
Source: ESPN
