Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks betting tips and predictions for Sunday’s game in the NBA. Two teams coming off wins square off at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks host the Cavaliers. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Cleveland Cavaliers
It’s been an interesting start to the season for the young Cleveland Cavaliers, they are ridding a 3-game win streak coming into this one after their latest 1-point win over Toronto. Surprisingly enough they are 4-3 on the road, something that not a lot of people expected before the season started. The average of this team is just 21.4 years, so I’m curious to see how long this positive run lasts. Players like Darius Garland have stepped up this season, Jarrett Allen is cleaning up the boards and rookie Evan Mobley is already drawing comparisons with a young Kevin Garnett. All in all, the Cavs are doing just fine having covered the spread 5 times in their last 6 road games, however they are just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 against the Knicks.
New York Knicks
New York has also been playing well, at 6-3 they currently sit as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference and that is with them being only 2-2 in home games so far. They’re coming off an impressive victory over the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks after coming back from 21-points down. Three Knick players scored 20 or more points – Julius Randle led the way with 32 and 12 boards, RJ Barrett added 20 and Derrick Rose chipped in 23 points off the bench. Interestingly enough, the Knicks have really struggled in home games against the Cavaliers. They’ve gone just 2-11 SU in their last 13 such games and have covered the spread just once in their last 5 games on a Sunday.
The Knicks haven’t been dominant at home this season, far from it actually. Consistency is on Cleveland’s side after the first 9 games of the season and plus the Knicks have already lost twice to teams with a winning record below .500, so that’s something to be concerned about. Cleveland’s recent form at MSG is proof enough they can hang with the Knicks here, so I’m backing the away team to cover.
New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Odds
New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Picks
Cavs +7.5 Point Spread is available at -110 odds on bet365!
Neither team likes to push the pace this season – the Knicks are 28th averaging 100.2 possessions per game, while Cleveland is only 4 spots above them with 100.4 per game. Cleveland isn’t really known for their offensive play, they like to rely more on defense to win games. They rank 13th in defensive efficiency and have already held opponents to under 100 points 4 times this season. As a result the under has landed 7 times in their last 8 games this season. The Knicks are also tenacious on defense, they hold opponents to just 42.7% shooting from the field which ranks 6th in the entire NBA. Their games have also been finishing under the total quite often – 4 of their last 6 overall and 4 of their last 5 against Eastern Conference teams. I think we’re in for a slow paced controlled game here, which should result in a lower total. Back the under.
Back Under 209 Total Points at bet365 at -110 odds!
