San Antonio changed the way it guarded Jalen Brunson in Game 2, sending early double-teams at him after he had torched the Spurs late in Game 1. The switch held him to 20 points, but it also opened the floor for the New York Knicks, who found clean looks through the rest of the night.
That is why Brunson is drawing attention again ahead of Game 3. He has taken 56 shots across the first two Finals games, including 31 in Game 1 and 25 in Game 2, and he is still averaging 25.0 points despite making only 33.9% of those attempts. For bettors, the number that stands out is the chance he gets to 30 or more points at +172 odds.
The pace of the series gives the angle its weight. Brunson carried the scoring load down the stretch in Game 1, then saw San Antonio press up on him much earlier in Game 2 before the Spurs eventually went back to playing him one on one late. That change did not shut him down completely, but it did alter how the Knicks had to attack, and it is the same defensive choice Game 3 is expected to test again.
The wrinkle is that San Antonio may not be done changing its mind. Luke Kornet has played only 18 minutes over the first two games, has a cumulative minus-14 and has scored one point, a line that could tempt the Spurs to keep using different looks in the frontcourt. They also have Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo on the bench, pieces that can affect how long they stay with the same coverage on Brunson.
For now, the clearest read is that Brunson keeps getting the ball and the shots, even when the efficiency is uneven. If San Antonio again chooses to crowd him early in Game 3, it gives him the kind of volume that can swing a prop market fast. If it stays single-covered, the Knicks have already shown what happens next: Brunson starts hunting the same openings that made Game 1 so costly for the Spurs.
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