Cavaliers vs. Knicks Prediction & Odds
The fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers travel to New York to take on the #5-seed Knicks on ABC Friday night at 8:30 PM ET in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Can the Knicks cover the 2-point spread as home favorites?
The series is tied 1-1.
The Cleveland Cavaliers went 51-31 in the regular season. They are 1-1 in the playoffs this season. The Cavs are 43-37-4 ATS on the year.
The New York Knicks went 47-35 in the regular season. They’re 1-1 in the playoffs this season. The Knicks are 45-35-4 ATS on the year.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
557 Cleveland Cavaliers (+2) at 558 New York Knicks (-2); O/U 211.5
8:30 PM ET, Friday, April 21, 2023
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Cavaliers vs. Knicks Public Betting Information
Our NBA Public Betting Information page indicates that 76% of public bettors are currently backing the Knicks -2 in this contest. Note that these numbers are subject to change, so be sure to check the link to receive the most up-to-date public betting data.
Cleveland Cavaliers DFS Spin
Cleveland small forward Cedi Osman is questionable for Friday night’s tilt with Knicks. He’s dealing with an ankle injury. Osman averaged 8.7 points per game in 20.1 minutes per contest during the regular season for the Cavs this year.
Cleveland shooting guard Caris LeVert had a monster game in the Cavs’ 107-90 win over the Knicks on Tuesday. The Michigan alum poured in 24 points on 9 of 16 field goal attempts and made 4 of his 9 three-point tries to boot. LeVert may see a wealth of scoring opportunities on Friday if the Knicks engineer their defense to stop Cleveland’s two star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
New York Knicks DFS Spin
New York shooting guard RJ Barrett is only averaging 10.5 points per game during the playoffs this season, but he seems like a good bounce-back candidate on Friday. During the regular season, Barrett’s numbers were better at home than on the road virtually across the board. In 36 games at Madison Square Garden, RJ Barrett averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.7 made three-pointers per game. He could have some DFS value at home against Cleveland.
Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart is an elite on-ball defender, which means he’ll see plenty of run off the bench on Friday. Hart has some sleeper DFS value as well as he’s averaged 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 made three-pointer per game across New York’s first two playoff games. His effort level and intensity could prove useful to the Knicks and DFS players in Game 3 on Friday.
Cavaliers vs. Knicks NBA Betting Trends
Cleveland is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
Cleveland is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS win.
New York is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against a team with a winning percentage over .600.
New York is 5-2-2 ATS in their last 9 games following an outright loss of more than 10 points.
Cavaliers vs. Knicks NBA Prediction
The Knicks should have Madison Square Garden rocking on Friday night. In general, New York has been good on Fridays this season as they are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 Friday games. The Cavaliers on the other hand have struggled on Fridays of late. Cleveland is just 2-9 ATS in their last 11 Friday games. The stat that really tips the scales for me is the Cavs’ recent record against the Knicks. Cleveland is just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against New York. I like the Knicks to win this game by a basket or more at home on Friday night.
NBA BETTING PREDICTION: NEW YORK KNICKS -2