After inspiring an entire fanbase with their rousing series win against the Cavaliers, the Knicks collapsed down the stretch of their Round 2 opener in Sunday’s 108-101 home loss to the Heat.
That victory came at a cost for Miami, which could be without Jimmy Butler after he injured his ankle late in that Game 1 win.
Will the Heat star be able to suit up in Game 2?
And if he does, would it be enough to spark a second straight upset for the No. 8 seed?
Here’s how we’re betting Tuesday’s contest, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
(via BetMGM)
(7:30 p.m. ET on TNT)
This is a tough game to bet in the hours ahead of tip-off, because the entire approach to this game revolves around two yet unanswered questions as of publish: will Butler play?
And if he does, how effective will he be?
As of now, it looks like Butler is trending toward missing Tuesday’s tilt.
That would be a major blow for Miami, as he led the team with 25 points and 11 rebounds in that gutsy Game 1 win after willing his team to victory with a combined 98 points in the final two games of the Bucks series.
That’s to say nothing of his impact on defense in this series opener, too.
Butler held Knicks star Jalen Brunson to just four points on 2-of-8 shooting across roughly 25 possessions as his primary defender; Brunson scored 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting against all other Heat defenders.
New York needs a big effort from Brunson offensively to survive in Game 2, especially if leading scorer Julius Randle (25.1 PPG) remains sidelined with that nagging ankle injury that has sapped his effectiveness throughout the postseason.
Even Brunson himself is dealing with an ankle injury of his own, and he’s officially questionable ahead of Tuesday.
In a world where Butler, Brunson and Randle all can’t go, it’s hard to imagine either of these teams cracking even 100 points, which they barely managed to do on Sunday.
If only Butler misses time – which seems the most likely scenario at this point – that would flip the onus back on Miami to generate offense outside of Butler or Tyler Herro (hand), which the team has struggled to do all season long.
Ultimately, the safest play here is to wait until Butler’s status is confirmed and gauge the market then.
If he’s a go, the Knicks are still a decent play as short home favorites but would be a trickier bet at their current price, as this really feels like a 50/50 matchup – with a slight knock on the Heat if Butler clearly isn’t right.
If you’re dead set on betting this game early, though, the wisest move is the under.
These teams combined for 209 points on Sunday despite the best shooting night all postseason for the Knicks (47.7%) and 13 made triples for the Heat, who likely won’t have as many open looks if Butler isn’t collapsing the defense inside.