2026 NBA Finals Knicks vs. Spurs Game 1: Best Victor Wembanyama Props and First Basket Predictions

The last act of the 2025–2026 NBA season is here. The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs meet tonight in Game 1 of the series, which will decide the next basketball champions.

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Oddsmakers have selected the Spurs as favorites, despite the Knicks' dominance in these playoffs. Experts believe the Western Conference champs are a better team that navigated a tougher path to these finals.

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2026 NBA Finals Game 1: New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs Schedule

• Game 1: Knicks at Spurs, 8 PM ET, on ABC

Betting Odds: Knicks vs. Spurs

• Knicks (+150) at Spurs (-185)
• Knicks +4.5 (-110) at Spurs -4.5 (-110)
• Over/Under 218.5 Points (-110/-110)

In my game pick for Game 1 below, I have chosen the Knicks moneyline. Get to your basketball betting app quickly: it seems the odds are shortening on the spread as the money rolls in entering the NBA Finals.

Odds are from BetMGM Sportsbook

First Basket/First Scorer Odds

How do you select the first scorer of an NBA game? It's not scientific. It comes down to which players touch the ball most and which players hoist the rock up for a shot the most.

That's why Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson are the favorites in this market. But that doesn't mean you should go that route.

Both Brunson and Wemby ranked high in this stat for the 2025-26 NBA season. Brunson scored the first points of a game 15 times. Wembanyama did it 14 times. Those totals ranked at the top of the league.

First Scorer is the same as First Basket for most sportsbooks. Every regulated sports betting app I checked uses one of those phrases, and it means the player to score the first points. So, even if you bet "First Basket," you can win that bet if your chosen player scores a free throw as the game's first points.

I'm selecting a sleeper for First Scorer. It's the long-range shooter of the Spurs, Julian Champagnie, who got hot in the Western Conference Finals. Champagnie was a blistering 18-for-34 from the field in the final three games against the Thunder. Over the last three games, Champagnie boasts a 33.3% first field goal rate, and Wembanyama has won all three tips.

Although he's yet to score first in head-to-head against the Spurs this season, Champagnie starting for the Spurs should boost his chances.

• Julian Champagnie to be First Scorer of NBA Finals ( +1000 Caesars)

Shop around for the odds on First Basket or First Scorer. The market has a lot of variance from sportsbook to sportsbook. The best odds I found were from Caesars Sportsbook, where a winning $100 bet will pay $1,000 plus the stake.

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Wembanyama Prop Bet for Game 1 vs Knicks

The future is now. In the sense that 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama is ahead of schedule. Many hoops experts felt Wemby would need another year, at least, before he became a transformative force. But here the Spurs are, in the NBA Finals with a core of very young players, led by the best player on the planet.

Great players do what great players do. And great players show up for big games (unless your name is James Harden). There's no reason to think Wembanyama will fail to deliver this series. If there's a need for evidence, his intense competitive performance in the All-Star Game shows that this young man wants to succeed. If he's willing to block shots, play defense, and make amazing shots in an exhibition, what can Wemby do in his first NBA Finals?

I think years from now we'll look back and see the video from this NBA Finals and see a Wemby that seems like a child compared to what he becomes. It's quite possible that the Wembanyama that we're seeing now is 50% of the player he ends up becoming.

But a large body needs rest, and three days may seem like a long time, but it's only 72 hours (thanks, math). In Game One on Wednesday, the long-limbed Wembanyama will need to conserve the energy he has to be able to perform in what may be a long series.

I'm going under on points + rebounds + assists on Wemby. He actually ended up UNDER on PRA in three of the seven games in the Western Conference Finals. During the regular season, his PRA was 39.6, and in these playoffs, it has lowered to 36.7.

• The Knicks have out-rebounded their opponents this postseason by  8.8 per game. New York will be a tougher matchup on the boards for the Spurs: another reason Wemby's "R" in his PRA could be reduced.

With this bet, I have chosen the alternate market and lowered Wemby's PRA by three points from the main market. For that risk, I am able to bet $100 to win $132 as opposed to betting $114 to win $100.

• BEST BET: Victor Wembanyama Under 39.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-132 FanDuel)

These odds are from FanDuel, which often has the best choices for O/U on alternate player props markets. For example, BetMGM, Caesars, and DraftKings do not offer alternate markets on P+R+A.

NBA Finals Game 1 and Series Pick: Knicks vs. Spurs

I also like the Knicks AND the points, but for a better potential win, I'm playing the moneyline. In addition, I need a Knicks win, by any score, regulation or OT, and my $100 wager will pay $262, including my stake.

I suspect the Spurs will still have a little hangover from their grueling series against Oklahoma City. The Knicks can ambush the favored Spurs on the road and grab home court. Expect their legs to be fresh, and their defensive intensity to be high.

I also love how well the Knicks are shooting (the top effective field goal percentage in this postseason), and expect the Knicks' 3-point weapons to be firing on all cylinders tonight in Game 1.

• New York Knicks on Moneyline to Win Game 1 (+162 Caesars)

Just as happened in the second round, I anticipate the Spurs will be tripped up in Game One, but come back to handle business in the series. The Spurs are the deeper, more skilled team. They play better defense, rebound better, and play better in transition. They also have the biggest superstar in this series.

Hop on this wager, and your winning $100 bet will result in $550 plus your stake.

• New York Knicks to Win Game One / San Antonio To Win NBA Finals (+550 Caesars)