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Something’s been off with Jalen Brunson during the early going of the 2024-25 NBA season.
With the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to the lineup, the Knicks star point guard’s scoring has taken a significant hit.
Through three games, Brunson is averaging just 23 points per game, which is nearly six points fewer than last season (28.7) and a point less than his first season in New York.
With those two in the picture, the Knicks have become a bit less heliocentric offensively – Brunson is averaging roughly 2.5 fewer shots per game.
Vegas sportsbooks are anticipating a potential bounce back in the scoring department for Brunson on Wednesday night in Miami, pegging his over/under against the Heat at 26.5 points.
Brunson has yet to hit the over on this mark through three games, and it isn’t exactly the best game to do it for the first time.
Oddsmakers are expecting tonight’s contest against the notoriously slow-paced Heat to be a slog with a 215.5 combined total, the lowest in the NBA of the night at ESPN BET.
The Knicks and Heat are the bottom two teams in the league in terms of pace, so even 215.5 may be a stretch.
The Heat’s defense has been dominant thus far as well, allowing just 106.7 points per game during the opening week of the season, the third-fewest in the league.
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Brunson will still get his with new blood in the Knicks lineup, but the near-30-points-per-game point guard may be a thing of the past – and tonight’s not the night for him to rekindle last season’s magic.
The play: Jalen Brunson under 26.5 points (-110, ESPN BET)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.