On Tuesday night, the Eastern Conference Finals tip off at the Mecca of Basketball. Madison Square Garden hosts the New York Knicks’ tilt against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the home side favored by 6.5 points to take the opening game of this NBA Playoffs series. Can Jalen Brunson lead his team to a statement victory?

Here are the top Jalen Brunson prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Tuesday’s Knicks vs. Cavaliers Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Best Jalen Brunson prop bets

It’s been something of an up-and-down campaign for Jalen Brunson, who was certainly healthier this year but saw a downturn in his efficiency metrics. The star guard, in his fourth season with the Knicks, produced 26.0 points and 6.8 assists per game, shooting 46.7% from the field and 36.9% from deep. That scoring total matched last year’s average and a minor drop of half a dime per game isn’t a massive deal, but as an undersized guard, a decrease by 2.1 percentage points in FG% and 1.4 percentage points in 3P% does mean something.

However, the 29-year-old has shown an ability to elevate his game come postseason time once again. Through 10 playoff games, Brunson is averaging 27.4 points and 6.1 assists per game, shooting 48.5% overall and 40.9% from deep. That FG% is the best of his career in the playoffs, and while his PPG mark is his lowest since he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks back in 2021-22, he still leads the Knicks in scoring over this run.

Tonight, DraftKings Sportsbook lists Brunson’s prop bet lines at O/U 27.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.5 three pointers. His combined PTS + REB + AST line comes in at 37.5.

Brunson has faced the Cavaliers three times this season to varying degrees of success. He posted 25.7 PPG over those contests along with 4.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds, shooting just 33.3% overall and 35.7% from downtown. Those three games included outings of 23, 34 and 20 points, pitching in four assists twice with five assists in another. Notably, Brunson recorded four rebounds in one contest and finished the other two with just one board. If we expand the sample size to the last two seasons, his averages in the matchup sit at 25.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds on a shooting split of a 40.0% FG% and 34.9% 3P% — not much better.

Brunson scored more than 27.5 points just once across those six games, so I do support fading him in some capacity tonight. If fading his scoring is what you’re looking at, I think that’s a valid proposition given the size in the Cleveland frontcourt between Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who could make it difficult for the small guard to drive to the rim. On the other hand though, he’s gone over tonight’s points prop in five of his 10 appearances during this playoff run, so it’s been a toss-up in that regard.

Instead of going that direction, I think I’d rather target the under on 6.5 assists for Brunson tonight. In the postseason, the shot attempts tend to consolidate more towards the stars, so that’s why I’d prefer to avoid the under on his scoring and go a different way. While there’s still a 50% hit rate in either direction of this 6.5-assist line, Brunson remained under that mark in five of his six regular-season matchups against Cleveland. A playoff environment means even more physical defense, and beyond Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, it’s tougher to trust his Knicks’ teammates to knock down shots. For those reasons, I’m fading this assists prop tonight.

Best bet: Jalen Brunson under 6.5 assists (-129)