Cavaliers guard James Harden has failed to get his teammates involved offensively in this series against the Knicks, averaging just 2.5 assists per game in the Eastern Conference Finals. Harden averaged 8.0 assists per game during the regular season, and his over/under for total assists on Saturday has dipped to 5.5, which could make him a focal point for NBA props bets for Game 3 of Knicks vs. Cavaliers at 8 p.m. ET. The SportsLine Projection Model is predicting Harden to exceed his assist total against the Knicks, projecting him to finish with 6.8 assists on average.
Meanwhile, SportsLine expert Prop Bet Guy is backing Knicks forward Mikal Bridges to go over 19.5 total points + assists + rebounds. Before locking in Saturday's NBA prop picks and other NBA bets on betting sites like FanDuel, be sure to check out top picks from the model and team of experts at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered the conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 26-10 roll (72%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Top NBA player prop picks for Knicks vs. Cavaliers
- James Harden, Cavaliers, Over 5.5 assists
- Mikal Bridges, Knicks, Over 19.5 points + rebounds + assists
- Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks, Over 17.5 points
James Harden, Cavaliers, Over 5.5 assists
Harden has struggled to get his teammates involved early in this series, averaging just 2.5 assists per game against the Knicks. However, Harden averaged 8.0 assists per game during the regular season, which ranked fourth in the league. He averaged 8.5 assists at home, and SportsLine's projection model expects Harden to finish with 6.8 assists on average in Game 3.
Mikal Bridges, Knicks, Over 19.5 points + assists + rebounds
"The Knicks guard has recorded 22+ combined points, rebounds and assists in seven straight games, all in varying game scripts," SportsLine expert Prop Bet Guy said. "Atop of the minutes ladder right now (37 and 40 thus far this series), Bridges is playing some of his best basketball of the season. On the offensive end, he's benefited from the individual matchup of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. When either are switched onto the primary action with Jalen Brunson, Bridges has done well to find the open space in the Knicks' fluid offense."
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks, Over 17.5 points
Towns is coming off a productive performance in New York's victory in Game 2, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds. He's now scored 17 or more points in four of his past six games in the postseason. SportsLine's model projects another strong showing from Towns, predicting he'll score 20 points on average.
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