What do you do when three star players will possibly miss a playoff game? Jimmy Butler, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle have all earned a questionable tag. But when we cut through the noise, player props for RJ Barrett and Bam Adebayo stand out for tonight’s Game 2. Want more Heat-Knicks player props? Check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays, including our Parlay Builder!
Heat-Knicks Game 2 NBA Player Prop | RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett O/U 26.5 Points & Rebounds
Few bets are less appetizing than an RJ Barrett over. Unfortunately, the game script calls for it. Even if Jimmy Butler doesn’t play, the Miami Heat are likely to lock in on Jalen Brunson, by far New York’s most dangerous scorer. Butler spent six minutes in direct coverage of Brunson in Game 1. Caleb Martin spent four minutes on him as well. The Heat don’t have a ton of defensive depth behind Butler, but they have enough to make Brunson’s life difficult.
Of course, Miami’s likely choice to spend defensive resources on Brunson will create opportunities for RJ Barrett, especially since Brunson is dealing with a sore ankle. The Miami Heat lined Gabe Vincent up against Barrett for six minutes, and Barrett racked up a whopping 11 points in that time. He shot 5-for-10 and made it to the charity stripe once. There is a chance that Julius Randle suits up and derails this play, but we’ll gamble on Randle sitting or not playing at 100%.
Barrett finished Game 1 with 26 points and nine rebounds in 40 minutes of action. He attempted 20 field goals, second-most on the Knicks. A similar workload is likely in store for him in a must-win Game 2. Let’s back him to clear a number at FanDuel Sportsbook that will certainly close a point and rebound or two higher if Randle or Brunson get ruled out. Readers yet to register at FanDuel can score $150 in bonus bets after placing just a $5 wager!
Best Heat-Knicks Player Prop: RJ Barrett Over 26.5 Points & Rebounds -113 for 0.5 Unit at FanDuel
Heat-Knicks Game 2 NBA Player Prop | Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo O/U 3.5 Assists
When nothing else works, it’s time to trust old reliable. The books have routinely underestimated Bam Adebayo as a playmaker during the postseason. Although he averaged only 3.2 assists per game in the regular season, Adebayo is averaging 4.5 per game in the playoffs. Across a six-game sample, Adebayo has gone for four-plus assists three times.
The potential absence of Jimmy Butler obviously helps this play, as Adebayo would be likelier to serve as an offensive initiator in that scenario. Adebayo averaged 3.4 assists per game without Butler this year. But even if Butler plays, Adebayo will take on a defense that often locks down the paint, which may force him to pass out of drives. Adebayo averaged 3.5 assists per game against the Knicks in the regular season and beat this number twice.
DraftKings Sportsbook is selling the over at odds of +100 (50%). That feels like the actual probability, not the juiced probability, so the books are giving us a respectable deal here. Adebayo has gone for four-plus assists in 27 of his 52 playoff appearances (51.9%). Let’s back that trend to exploit this deal available via DraftKings.
Best Heat-Knicks Player Prop: Bam Adebayo Over 3.5 Assists +100 for 0.5 Unit at DraftKings
