Sean Barnard previews tonight’s game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks with his favorite player prop bets.

The NBA is officially back and kicked off with a thrilling double-header for the debut night of the season. But there will be no let-up with a full 12-game slate, with the season fully getting underway tonight with 24 more teams making their season debut. One of the headline matchups of the Wednesday slate will be between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks. 

These are the two biggest threats in the Eastern Conference and will square off in the opening game for a first look at how they stack up. Cleveland will be hoping for some better injury luck in the postseason and to build off their NBA-best 64 regular-season wins last year. The New York Knicks made a coaching change and will kick off the Mike Brown era tonight as they hope to carve a deeper playoff path.

Cleveland enters as a narrow 1.5-point favorite and holds -125 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook for the season opener. The Knicks hold +105 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 228.5

There are plenty of ways of getting involved in the action beyond just backing a side or a total. This article breaks down my three favorite prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for the first nationally televised Eastern Conference battle of the season.

Jalen Brunson Under 26.5 Points (-113)

There is no doubt that Jalen Brunson is one of the most talented players in the NBA and the clear face of the Knicks. Coming off his second consecutive All-NBA season, Brunson averaged 26.0 points per game last season, which was a step back from the 28.7 he averaged in 2023-24. Not because Brunson isn’t making progress in his development, but rather because of the caliber of talent that New York has amassed around him. 

This is a trend that should be expected to continue this year. One of the biggest frustrations that led to the firing of Tom Thibodeau was the inability of key additions Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to find their full offensive stride. Brunson ranked ninth in usage rate last season (minimum 65 games) and will still be the foundation of New York’s offense. But expect there to be an even greater focus on playing a team-oriented style of basketball and for Brunson’s raw statistics to suffer a bit because of this. 

In addition, Cleveland finished last season ranked eighth in defensive rating and allowed the seventh fewest points to opposing guards. Over the past two years, Brunson has averaged 23.4 points per game against the Cavaliers and has only tallied over 26.5 points in one of the five games. This is not a fade of Brunson’s overall talent, but expect him to finish with under 26.5 points in his debut in the Mike Brown offense and with the tough matchup in mind. 

Evan Mobley Over 8.5 Rebounds (-120)

The biggest positive takeaway from last season for the Cavaliers was Evan Mobley’s leap. The former third overall pick earned his first All-Star appearance and averaged 18.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while expanding his shooting range and bringing his expected level of defensive dominance. It is no coincidence that Cleveland had their greatest team success as more responsibility was put on his plate. 

Count on this continuing as he heads into his fifth NBA season. One area where this should show up statistically tonight is in the rebounding department. Mobley has pulled in 9.0 rebounds per game or greater over each of the last three seasons. He will now face off with a Knicks team that has already ruled out Mitchell Robinson, and Karl-Anthony Towns is listed as questionable. New York also ranked 24th in rebounds per game last season. 

Count on Mobley’s development to continue this season and for him to be the clear top big man on the Cavaliers as Jarrett Allen starts to see his role scaled down. Expect Cleveland to begin to fade away from the double big lineups at such a consistent rate, and this is the type of matchup for this to be put on display. One way or another, I am backing Evan Mobley to pull in over 8.5 rebounds, just as he did in 44 of his 71 games played last year.

Jordan Clarkson to Record 2+ Made Three-Pointers (-105)

One of the more notable offseason additions by the Knicks was Jordan Clarkson. The former Sixth Man of the Year was put to the side of the NBA mainstream and has spent the past five and a half seasons playing for the Utah Jazz. While he has not played with pressure to win in several seasons, it should not be forgotten that Jordan Clarkson can still get red-hot and fill it up as well as anyone in basketball. Throughout his 11-year career, Clarkson has averaged 16.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 33.6% from beyond the three-point arc on 5.5 perimeter attempts per game. 

There have been some real ups and downs in Clarkson’s shooting efficiency. He has shot as poorly as 29.4% from beyond the three-point arc over a season, but also has connected at a rate as high as 36.8% from the perimeter. Last season, Cleveland ranked 13th in the league in both opponents’ three-point efficiency and three-point attempts allowed. Clarkson has not played in an atmosphere conducive to winning in several seasons, and look for this to bring the best out of him. 

Expect Clarkson to introduce himself to the New York faithful in proper fashion and come off the bench willing to let it fly. It will be interesting to see how the minutes shake out, but don’t be surprised if the 33-year-old finds himself in play for another Sixth Man of the Year award this season. He knocked down as many as six three-pointers in a game last season and tallied two or more in 25 of the 37 games he has suited up for. The +266 odds of him making three three-pointers are also intriguing, but for the sake of the article and without seeing him in the full Knicks’ offense yet, I will stick with Jordan Clarkson to connect with at least two made three-pointers against his former team tonight.