Let's go big with +1240 SGP for Knicks-Sixers

The premier game on Tuesday night's NBA playoff slate is going down in Madison Square Garden, as the New York Knicks look to close out the Philadelphia 76ers. We know you'll have your eyes glued to this one, so let's put together a correlated Same Game Parlay for Game 5 based on how the Sixers will defend the Knicks in a win-or-go-home situation.

Leg 1: Jalen Brunson under 33.5 points

Brunson went into Philadelphia and dropped 39 and 47 points, respectively, in Game 3 and Game 4 partly because Nick Nurse eased off his early strategy of forcing the ball out of his hands and making New York's role players beat them. In a must-win game, Nurse is going to go all out to slow down Brunson's scoring.

We're expecting the Sixers to throw a ton of double teams at Brunson to force him to pass the ball, which leads us to our next selection. 

Leg 2: Jalen Brunson 10+ assists

The 76ers aren't going to let Brunson crush them with isolation drives in Game 5, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to rack up assists passing out of double teams. The point guard has recorded at least 10 assists in two straight games despite attempting 61 field goals in that span. With the Sixers likely adjusting their defensive strategy for Game 5, Brunson should be able to reach 10 assists again. 

Leg 3: Josh Hart over 1.5 threes

Hart was held to only four points on 0-7 shooting and 0-3 from three in Game 4, but that's because Brunson handled so much of the offensive workload. In the first two games of the series, Hart went 8-15 from deep as the 76ers let him shoot as much as he wanted. Philly is going to force Hart and other role players to beat them, so the open looks will be there again.

Leg 4: Miles McBride over 1.5 threes

McBride is 10-19 from three in this series, and, similarly to Hart, most of them have been wide-open looks. The shooting guard has gone over this line in three of the four games, and he should see another four to five open looks in Game 5. 

Put it all together, and we get a +1240 Same Game Parlay on FanDuel. Let's cash!

In the news ...

Nuggets, Thunder cruise to the second round; Celtics lose Kristaps Porzingis — One day after the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder finished off their respective series to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs. Jamal Murray hit another game-winner to close out the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, and the Thunder dominated the fourth quarter to finish off the New Orleans Pelicans in a sweep. Denver is a -245 favorite against Minnesota in the second round. In the East, the Boston Celtics crushed the Miami Heat to take a 3-1 series lead, but they lost Porzingis to a calf injury. The forward will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.  

Panthers advance past Lightning; Stars even series vs. Knights — In the NHL, the Florida Panthers finished off the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 6-1 victory in Game 5. Florida will face the winner of the Boston Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs series in the second round. Elsewhere, the Dallas Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-2, to knot up the first-round series at 2-2. The Stars are now -150 favorites to win the series.  

Chiefs sign Travis Kelce to a two-year, $34.25 million contract — As if Travis Kelce's year couldn't get any better, the star tight end agreed to a two-year, $34.25 million extension with the Kansas City Chiefs with $17 million in guaranteed money. The deal will make Kelce the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Unsurprisingly, the Chiefs are +550 favorites to repeat as Super Bowl champions. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty