Cleveland was on the brink of snatching home-court advantage in Game 1, but the Brunson Burner was dialed up all the way to orange and blue, resulting in a 115-104 overtime win for New York. In Game 2, the Knicks swept the leg with the 109-93 victory.

The brooms are now out in Manhattan and the rabid Knicks fans are sauntering amongst the skyscrapers, but it’s only two games and all New York did was protect home court. Cleveland lost the first two games in the previous round and won four of the next five contests.

During the regular season, these teams met three times, with the Knicks winning twice. The home team won all three games.

DraftKings Sportsbook lists Cleveland as a 2.5-point favorite over New York, with the total set at 213.5 points.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (NYK at CLE)

Captain’s Picks

Max Strus ($8,400 CP): I’m feeling frisky today. During these playoffs, Strus has finished with fewer than 20 FPTS 10 times. He has put up at least 30 FPTS four times though, and he had a high of 44 FPTS in 23 minutes during the regular season. The Strus Goose can light it up on any given night and does have these random nights when he’s the greatest player on Planet Earth. Sure, he shot 1-of-7 and 2-of-6 in the first two games, but during the regular season, he shot 49% at home vs. 38% on the road. In 50 games last season, he shot 47% at home and 42% on the road. He doesn’t contribute defensive stats, but Strus does grab his fair share of boards and dishes out a few dimes. The ownership will likely be low for Strus in the captain slot, there is upside and he allows the rest of the lineup to be quite robust.

UTIL Plays

Donovan Mitchell ($10,000): The usage rate was 29% and 27% in the first two games of the series. That number was 31% during the regular season and was at 38% to 40% in three games during the Detroit series. With the Cavaliers down 0-2 and at home, where Mitchell has shot better from the field, I’m expecting him to let the dawg out and produce fantasy goodies galore. He finished with only 35 FPTS last game despite scoring 26 points, as he didn’t contribute much in the periphery categories. In the prior two games, he went for over 50 FPTS in both as he stuffed the stat sheet. I like him to return to those ways.

Jalen Brunson ($10,600): Brunson went wild for 38 points in Game 1, good for 58.2 FPTS. In Game 2, he only scored 19 points but dished out 14 dimes and finished with 44.2 FPTS. Brunson is going to get his numbers regardless of how Cleveland defends him. I’m expecting Cleveland to bring it in this one, which will force Brunson to respond and keep pace if the Knicks have any chance of winning. That means plenty of minutes and usage.

OG Anunoby ($8,000): I initially had Mikal Bridges as an option, but I think the hot shooting streak ends here. During these playoffs, Anunoby has two games in the 20 FPTS range. In the other eight contests, he finished over 30 FPTS in all with four over 40 FPTS and two over 50 FPTS. There’s only been three games in which he didn’t rack up a block or a steal, and he’s totaled 12 blocks to go along with 17 steals. Anunoby doesn’t dish out many dimes, but he does work on the boards and has scored double figures in every contest, with four games over 20 points.

Fades

Mikal Bridges ($7,000): Over the last seven games, Bridges is shooting 68% from the field and 50% from downtown. Can the hot streak continue? Absolutely, but it’s definitely not sustainable over the long haul and anything can happen in one game. If Bridges doesn’t tickle the twine like he has been lately, it’s difficult for him to score fantasy goodies cuz he doesn’t contribute much in the other categories. If he’s cold, it wouldn’t surprise if he ends up in the high teens or low 20s for FPTS.

The Outcome

It is often said that a series doesn’t begin until the road team wins a game. Well, I guess the series has a chance to begin on Monday then.

Final Score: Cavaliers 103, Knicks 98