ESPN's basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you lock in daily fantasy and betting decisions for that night's games. Here you'll find our top insights for the slate, including players to target for your daily fantasy rosters, along with game-by-game injury reports.
What you need to know for Saturday
Winless in the conference finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a hard place. The New York Knicks, meanwhile, are one of just 13 teams in NBA history to enjoy a nine-game winning streak in the postseason.
In a must-win contest for Cleveland, the Cavaliers host the Knicks at 8 PM ET on ABC in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. To re-enter the series, Cleveland needs to shoot much better. With New York packing the paint, clean perimeter looks have been plentiful for Cleveland. They simply aren't falling.
With the Knicks regularly disrupting pick-and-roll exchanges between James Harden and Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley needs to get two feet in the paint early and often. This is more than a single game for him -- it's a referendum on whether Mobley can ascend beyond a complementary role when it matters most.
Through two games, Cleveland has yet to solve the Jalen Brunson conundrum. Aggressively doubling and trapping him has backfired; he has deftly passed out of trouble to create clean shots and hockey assists for teammates. Backing off lets him probe and attack. We'll see what approach Kenny Atkinson takes tonight.
The story will also be told on the glass. The Knicks outrebounded Cleveland 13-5 on the offensive boards in Game 2, generating second-chance points for a team that was already winning comfortably. For measure, Cleveland got to the free-throw line at a much higher rate in Game 2 and still lost by 16.
When it comes to eyeing player props and building DFS lineups, it's worth considering every Knicks starter as a threat to erupt on any given night. The Knicks' deeper cast creates some welcomed variance when parsing just two rosters, especially as the Cavaliers concentrate touches to their duo of high-usage guards.
A degree of desperation and a loud home crowd could give the Cavaliers a needed lift tonight as they seek to make this series competitive. With an eye toward uncovering compelling betting angles and daily fantasy decisions, let's take a look at the night ahead.
McCormick's bets for Saturday
On Get Up, Brian Windhorst, Alan Hahn, Jay Williams and Joe Fortenbaugh react to the New York Knicks going up 2-0 in the series after a 109-93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jalen Brunson OVER 6.5 assists (-153)
Averaging 81 passes per game over the first two games of the series -- the highest rate of any player in the conference finals -- Brunson averaged an elite 16 potential assists in two wins against Cleveland. A potential assist is any pass that leads directly to a field-goal attempt within one dribble of receiving the ball. This reveals how often Brunson is identifying catch-and-shoot threats, especially as his supporting cast is flush with willing shooters. The Cavaliers might scale back blitzing Brunson, but he's still going to attract added defenders, opening the window for passing success.
Donovan Mitchell OVER 27.5 points (-107)
The Knicks have been brilliant in taming James Harden's pocket passing and control of half-court angles, while Mitchell has found more success as a scorer. Given the series results, it's easy to miss that Mitchell is averaging 27.5 points on 60% true shooting through two matchups. "Spida" got more aggressive in Game 2, earning nine free throws, and he's averaging nine attempts from deep in the series. With a career playoff average of 30.8 points at home, the floor is set for Mitchell to get buckets.
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ salaries
Donovan Mitchell, SG, Cavaliers ($15,000): Building on his scoring endorsement, Mitchell is bound to be aggressive tonight. Brunson is the most expensive player in today's showdown, and for good reason, while Mitchell serves as a pivot from chalk with an arguably higher ceiling. The Knicks' deeper cast lessens Brunson's need to go full Allen Iverson, while Mitchell's path runs almost purely through volume scoring.
$6,100-$8,000 salaries
Josh Hart, SF, Knicks ($12,900): Don't go chasing Hart 3-pointers is a truism, but this is about his full floor game, not his turn as prime Klay Thompson this past Thursday night. Don't expect the Cavaliers to suddenly respect Hart as a shooting threat, likely freeing him to play the gritty, two-way glue guy role. This means flying in for rebounds and creating chaos in passing lanes. Even if the scoring regresses -- and it will -- the box score will be busy.
$3,500-$6,000 salaries
Max Strus, SF, Cavaliers ($8,400): The Cavs have gotten away from leveraging Strus as a two-way threat. Yes, the Knicks' size and length on the perimeter have weakened his impact as a scoring threat, but his ability to navigate screens and help when Harden is being targeted could mean more work in this important context. If the shot is falling, Strus could pay off.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers
8 p.m. ET on ABC
Line: Knicks +2.5 (-112) | Cavaliers -2.5 (-108)
Money line: Knicks +110 | Cavaliers -130
Total: 214.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 2.5, straight up 58%, 218.4 total points.
Injury Report:
Knicks: None reported
Cavaliers: None reported
