The wait is over. The NBA Finals between the Spurs and Knicks will begin with Game 1 in San Antonio on Wednesday night. The Spurs just clinched their Western Conference title with a Game 7 win over the defending champion Thunder this past Saturday while the Knicks haven’t played since last Monday, when they clinched the Eastern Conference by sweeping the Cavaliers. New York has won 11 straight games and the club leads the NBA in net rating this postseason. However, ranking second is San Antonio, so we should be in store for a terrific NBA Finals matchup.

For Game 1, the Spurs are favored by 4.5 points and this contest carries a total of 218.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $1M Finals Tip-Off Special [$200K to 1st, 3PT Throne Eligible] (NYK @ SAS)

Captain’s Picks

OG Anunoby ($10,800 CPT, $7,200 FLEX)

Anunoby is underpriced for how well he has been playing. Rostering him at captain should be a contrarian move for this Showdown slate. During these playoffs, Anunoby has been outstanding, scoring 38 FPTS in 33 minutes per game. The forward is handling a 19% usage rate, shooting 57% from the field, and 48% from beyond the arc.

Anunoby is producing 1.1 FPTS per minute and he has scored at least 30 FPTS in 9-of-11 games, including four performances over 40 FPTS. Coming off more than a week of rest, Anunoby should approach 40 minutes in Game 1 and brings great upside.

UTIL Plays

Victor Wembanyama ($18,900 CPT, $12,600 FLEX) – While the Knicks have been the top rated defense during these playoffs, Wembanyama is going to see huge minutes with this being the NBA Finals. Per usual, he is likely to lead this slate in scoring. In the 15 games this postseason that Wembanyama hasn’t exited early, the superstar has scored over 50 FPTS nine times and over 60 FPTS seven times. Wembanyama is scoring an absurd 1.8 FPTS per minute with a 32% usage rate this season and he topped 50 FPTS in 2-of-3 matchups vs. the Knicks in the regular season.

Mikal Bridges ($9,900 CPT, $6,600 FLEX) – After some poor play to open the postseason, Bridges flipped a switch late in the first round and hasn’t looked back since. Following five straight showings under 20 FPTS, Bridges is averaging 32 FPTS per game in his last nine. Over this time, Bridges is shooting 63% from the field and he has exceeded 30 FPTS six times. Bridges went off for 46.25 FPTS in his final meeting of the regular season vs. the Spurs and he is an excellent value at only $6,600.

Devin Vassell ($9,300 CPT, $6,200 FLEX) – Vassell posted 33.25 FPTS vs. the Knicks when these clubs went head-to-head in March. With a larger role this postseason, Vassell has been a steady fantasy asset. After logging 30.5 minutes per game in the regular season, the wing is averaging 33.8 in the playoffs and Vassell has scored at least 26 FPTS in 12-of-18 games. The veteran just posted 27.5 FPTS in Game 7 vs. the Thunder and Vassell should have a similar outing in tonight’s Game 1.

Fades

Stephon Castle ($12,900 CPT, $8,600 FLEX) – Castle had issues vs. the Knicks in the regular season and he is a tough sell at these price points. Castle scored 44.75 FPTS in his first matchup vs. New York in December, but then he was held to just 16.5 and 26.5 FPTS in his next two meetings vs. the Knicks. Castle is shooting 30% from the field vs. New York and this is a difficult matchup for him, going against the Knicks’ elite collection of wing defenders, most notably Anunoby.

The Outcome

While the Spurs are riding high after their Game 7 road win in Oklahoma City, that grueling series went the distance while the Knicks have been comfortably resting since winning the Eastern Conference last Monday. New York went 2-1 vs. San Antonio in the regular season. With both those victories coming by double -digits, I think this red hot and more rested Knicks team goes into San Antonio tonight and steals Game 1.

As noted above, New York has won 11 straight and five of these victories have been by at least 29 points. The Knicks comfortably lead the NBA in net rating this postseason and I love backing them for the upset tonight with +154 ML odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Final Score: Knicks 105, Spurs 100