The defending champion Knicks are 0-2, Mikal Bridges went scoreless in Boston, and New York bettors have a new rulebook for player props. For Knicks and Nets props this season, FanDuel and DraftKings are the state’s biggest sportsbook apps, but the books holding less of your money last week were Fanatics, BetMGM and Caesars. The smartest approach is to hold accounts at two or three and shop every line.
Knicks and Nets props: what the first week told us
The banner-night loss set the tone. Philadelphia won 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on October 20, with Jalen Brunson scoring 21 on 6-of-19 shooting and Karl-Anthony Towns limited to about 23 minutes by foul trouble, though he still posted 19 points and 12 rebounds. Three nights later the Celtics won 107-103. Towns had 22 and 10, OG Anunoby added 20 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, and Miles McBride hit 6 of 8 threes for 20 off the bench. Bridges went 0-for-5 from deep and finished with no points in 22 minutes.
For prop bettors, that is the story: Towns’ rebounding floor holds even in short minutes, McBride’s volume can swing a game, and Bridges’ role looks smaller than his name. The Knicks host Orlando on October 25 and Detroit on October 27 before trips to Chicago and Philadelphia. The first Knicks-Nets game is November 2 at the Garden.
Brooklyn lost its opener 110-103 to Charlotte. The Nets went 20-62 last season and scored a league-low 105.9 points per game, so the prop interest sits with Julius Randle, acquired from Minnesota, Michael Porter Jr., who averaged 24.2 points before a hamstring injury ended his season, and No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr., priced at +2000 for Rookie of the Year at BetRivers in early September.
New NBA prop rules every New York bettor should know
From opening night, the NBA told its sportsbook partners, which cover roughly 95% of the state-regulated market, to stop offering:
- Parlays combining unders on the same player’s stats
- “First of” markets, such as the opening tip or a player’s first shot, rebound, assist or steal
- Unders on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes
- Alternate unders carrying bigger payouts
Props on fouls, turnovers and missed free throws were already off the board, as were unders on players on 10-day and two-way deals. The bans target the pattern in the Jontay Porter case, where an $80,000 parlay on his unders stood to pay about $1.1 million. Standard lines on rotation players remain; the long-shot under ladders are gone.
Comparing NY sportsbooks for NBA player props
New York has nine licensed mobile operators. These are the ones that matter for Knicks and Nets props, with handle and hold from the state’s weekly report for the week ending October 18:
| Sportsbook | Weekly handle | Hold | Why it suits NBA props |
|---|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | $226.5M | 12.1% | Biggest book in the state; same game parlays, player props and odds boosts |
| DraftKings | $208.5M | 10.0% | SGPx mixes same game parlays with legs from other games; Quick SGPs offer pre-built combos |
| Fanatics | $68.4M | 8.5%* | Lower hold that week |
| BetMGM | $53.2M | 7.7%* | Lowest hold among the big five |
| Caesars | $37.5M | 8.3%* | Long-shot futures pricing worth checking |
*Our calculation from reported handle and revenue.
FanDuel took about 37% of all handle that week and 43% of revenue. The statewide hold was 10.3%. Price gaps are real: in September, FanDuel had the Knicks at +1000 to win the title while BetRivers offered +900. A few weeks earlier, Caesars listed the Nets at +100000 and BetRivers at +50000. Gaps like that are why shopping points, rebounds and assists lines pays. Our full NY sportsbook rankings compare all nine.
Our view: depth versus price
One week of hold is not a margin. Results drive it, and favorites covering moves the number. But with New York taxing sportsbook revenue at 51%, operators have every reason to protect their edge, and bettors should protect theirs by refusing to take the worst price.
For Knicks props, we would build same-game parlays at DraftKings, with SGPx and Quick SGPs, or FanDuel, and place straight player prop bets wherever the price is best. A half-point on a Towns rebound line, or ten cents on a Brunson points over, matters more over an 82-game season than any boost. In-play markets are where foul trouble like Towns’ on opening night creates value, provided you are watching.
The state is also tightening how books sell. This month the Gaming Commission voted unanimously to advance a rule that would bar operators from using AI to personalize promotions, odds or betting limits, or to suggest specific wagers, unless a customer consents. Our read: if it passes, expect fewer “recommended for you” prop slips in your app.
Looking ahead to 2027
Our estimate is that the NBA’s list of banned props grows, not shrinks, by the 2027-28 season. The basis: the league moved in stages, adding this year’s bans on top of earlier fouls-and-turnovers limits, and its partners control nearly all of the regulated market. For New York bettors, that means a narrower menu of exotic unders and more emphasis on core lines, where shopping pays.
New York’s handle supports the depth. The fiscal year to date is up 6.2% to $14.80 billion through 30 weeks, while revenue is down about 1%. Our read: if that gap persists, books will keep competing on parlay features rather than prices, which is another reason to keep more than one account. All current welcome offers are on our NY promo codes page; you must be 21+ to bet in New York.
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