Knicks aim to end title drought against Wembanyama's Spurs - Markets open with San Antonio ahead
Spurs Lead NBA Finals Odds As Knicks Enter As Underdogs
For most of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were viewed as the team to beat in the NBA Championship market. Their elimination from the playoffs has changed the picture entirely, with the San Antonio Spurs now advancing to the 2026 NBA Finals. The question now is whether the Knicks can turn their current underdog status into a genuine title threat.
Sportsbooks across Canada, including Sports Interaction, are listing the Spurs as the likely winners of the 2026 NBA Finals. Sports Interaction has set the odds at -208 for the Spurs, with an implied probability of 67.6%.
Can the Knicks turn their 37% implied probability into a genuine upset chance, or will the Spurs validate the current odds after eliminating Oklahoma City?
| San Antonia Spurs | -208 (67.6%) |
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| New York Knicks | +170 (37%) |
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Why The Knicks Still Have A Case Against The Spurs
This year’s NBA Finals will feature a familiar matchup, with the Knicks and Spurs meeting again after facing off in this season’s NBA Cup Final. The Knicks won that game 124-113, while the regular-season series was split evenly, with each team securing a win of their own.
Based strictly on their head-to-head results this season, the Knicks appear to have a legitimate case. They have already beaten the Spurs in a high stakes setting and have shown they can match up with them across multiple games.
However, the betting markets are still leaning toward San Antonio winning the best-of-seven series. The Spurs finished the regular season with a stronger record at 62-20, compared to the Knicks’ 53-29, and strengthened their championship outlook by eliminating the defending champions, OKC Thunder.
After proving they could get beat a team as formidable as Oklahoma City, NBA fans are now questioning whether New York has enough to slow them down over a full series.
Our View On The 2026 NBA Finals Matchup
While the outright winner odds point toward San Antonio, the matchup itself leaves room for debate.
The Knicks have already shown they can trouble the Spurs, but a seven-game Finals matchup against Victor Wembanyama creates a very different challenge.
To get a clearer read on whether New York’s upset case is realistic, MyBettingSites Canada Associate Editor Ian Rutherford weighs in on the matchup.
The biggest challenge for the Knicks may be the size mismatch between the two teams. During the OKC series, we saw both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren struggle to establish themselves in the paint with Victor Wembanyama protecting the rim, while Devin Vassell also provided the Spurs with valuable defensive support on the perimeter.
For the Knicks, overcoming that challenge will likely fall on Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby. If they are unable to create a consistent interior threat, guards Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges could struggle to find space on the perimeter.
Against a Spurs team built around Wembanyama, New York’s half-court offense may have to work much harder than it has throughout most of the postseason.
That isn't to say the Knicks aren't a defensive threat themselves. They currently rank ahead of the Spurs in postseason team defensive rating, showing they have been one of the more difficult teams to score against during the playoffs. However, containing a 7-foot-4 center like Wembanyama presents a very different challenge, especially over the course of a seven-game series.
Offensively, New York has also proven itself as the more productive team this postseason, leading all playoff teams with 119.9 points per game compared to San Antonio’s 115.3. That shows the Knicks are capable of keeping this series competitive, but whether they can maintain that output against Wembanyama’s rim protection may ultimately decide how close this Finals matchup becomes.
For the Knicks to turn the odds against San Antonio, they will likely need Towns and Anunoby to pull Wembanyama into uncomfortable defensive positions, while Brunson and Bridges create enough perimeter pressure to keep the Spurs from loading up inside.
The Spurs remain the more complete favourite on paper, but if New York can maintain its postseason scoring pace and limit Wembanyama’s control of the paint, this series could become far more competitive than the market odds suggest.
I began my journey into sports betting at the age of 18, back when official online sportsbooks weren’t widely available. Over the years, I’ve developed a deep understanding of the betting market, from analyzing odds to exploring how operators function behind the scenes. Staying up to date with the latest sports news is a daily routine for me, and it’s helped me sharpen my insights into team dynamics, player performance, and betting trends.
My experience and knowledge allow me to approach sports betting strategically, blending my love for the game with a keen eye for opportunities in the market.
