Knicks Will Shut Down Trae Young in Game 1
Trae Young will make his first career playoff appearance on Sunday when he and the Atlanta Hawks take on the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Young will have his work cut out for him as he’ll be facing a Knicks team that boasts the number one defense in the NBA. New York enters the series ranking first in opponent points per game (104.7) and first in opponent field goal percentage (44%).
With Trae Young’s point total for Sunday’s game being set at 24.5, the under at -104 looks like the bet to make. The projected total of 24.5 is just under his season average of 25.3, and now he’ll be facing a stellar defense in the Knicks.
Young’s performances against the Knicks this season won’t be much help in determining which way you should go with his point total today, as he averaged 24.66 points against the Knicks in their three meetings this season, which is right at the given total of 24.5.
One thing that is important to note, is that 29 of Young’s 74 points scored against the Knicks came from the free throw line. With the Knicks ranking 25th in the NBA in personal fouls per game, don’t be shocked if you see a similar story tonight.
Trae Young scored 74 points in 3 games against the Knicks this season. 29 of them came from the FT line.
— Chip Murphy (@ChipMurphy7) May 22, 2021
That seems like a lot.
If Vegas is correct, this series should be a close one, as Game 1 is set as a -110 pick’em, and the Hawks are only slightly favored to advance to the second round at -130 odds.
Despite the Knicks being an NBA’s best 45-26-1 against the spread this season, they’re still being disrespected ahead of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
It’s tough to tell how this series will shape out, but Trae Young is going to have to play some of the best basketball of his career if he wants to find success against this Knicks defense.