forbes.com

Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals Game 1 Best Bets Featuring Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs v Oklahoma City Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - DECEMBER 25: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket around Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center on December 25, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images)

After two very different conference finals, the Knicks and Spurs converge to battle for the Larry O’Brien Trophy beginning with Wednesday’s Game 1 at Frost Bank Center. Ironically, both teams also faced off for the NBA Cup championship in December, with New York prevailing by a 124-113 score.

Naturally, the two clubs have traversed plenty of ground since that point, and tonight’s game marks the beginning of what should be fascinating finish to the 2025-26 NBA season.

Ahead of the series-opening high-stakes showdown, we dive into a three-leg same-game parlay that could deliver handsome returns on investment:

(Odds listed are best at time of publishing)

New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET

Same-Game Parlay:

Spurs Alt. Spread +3.5

Victor Wembanyama Over Alt Total 33.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists

Mikal Bridges To Record 20+ Points + Rebounds + Assists

Odds: +180 on FanDuel Sportsbook

Although the Knicks took two of three total regular-season/NBA Cup meetings from the Spurs this season, it’s San Antonio who’s a solid series favorite after their dethroning of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, fueled by a 3-1 mark over the last four installments of the Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs are also naturally favored in Game 1, with that spread a relatively modest 4.5 points. That’s also a reasonable line when factoring in how dominant San Antonio has been at home since the beginning of the regular season. Victor Wembanyama and co. boast a 38-11 record straight up at home – including 6-3 in the postseason – and a 28-20-1 mark against the spread in that split as well.

The Spurs also have an average net margin of victory of +9.6 points at Frost Bank Center since the beginning of the campaign. Meanwhile, the Knicks are a solid 28-20 straight up on the road since the start of the season, including 6-1 in the postseason.

However, as the just-cited numbers corroborate, going into the Spurs’ home floor is no easy task, and for the first leg of our parlay, we’re going to further insulate ourselves by using FanDuel’s Alt. Spread feature to flip the line and actually give San Antonio a handful of points for cushion.

That strategy takes the fact the Knicks haven’t lost since the first round and enjoy a full five-day rest edge to start the series into account. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting the Spurs are an NBA-best 17-2 straight up since the start of the season when playing with a rest disadvantage.

For our second leg, we’ll focus on Wembanyama, who’s naturally the focal point of the Spurs’ attack and has put together an outstanding postseason. The big man has averaged 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks across 32.5 minutes per contest over 17 playoff games to date.

What makes those numbers all the more impressive is the fact they’re significantly weighed down by a pair of 12-minute outings where he averaged just 4.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

Wembanyama also started two of the three regular-season meetings with the Knicks – he came off the bench in the NBA Cup title game due to injury management for a calf strain – and averaged 42.5 points + rebounds + assists across 29.0 minutes in those contests.

Considering he’s averaged 36.0 minutes in the last nine playoff games alone, Wembanyama should have plenty of opportunity to eclipse the Alt. total of 33.5 points + rebounds + assists.

For our third and final leg, we’ll turn to the other side and hone in on Mikal Bridges, who appeared headed for a forgettable postseason early on in the Knicks’ playoff run before flipping the switch and becoming one of New York’s most reliable complementary source of across-the-stat-sheet production.

Through the first five games of what was ultimately a six-game first-round battle with the Hawks, Bridges sported middling averages of 7.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 27.2 minutes per game, while taking just 6.4 shots per contest.

However, since Game 6 versus Atlanta, Bridges has compiled 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists – along with 1.4 steals – per game while shooting an elite 62.8% on 12.6 shots per contest.

Bridges is also a perfect 15-for-15 from the free-throw line since the start of the playoffs, and he recorded points + rebounds + assists totals of 21, 21 and 32 against San Antonio in the regular season while shooting 57.7%, including 50.0% from behind the arc, in the two non-NBA-Cup games vs. the Spurs.

Bridges has eclipsed 20 points + rebounds + assists in nine consecutive postseason contests as well, making that a great threshold for us to close out our Game 1 parlay with.

Read full news in source page