Knicks vs. Cavaliers Prediction & Odds
The fifth-seeded New York Knicks travel to Cleveland to take on the #4-seed Cavaliers on ESPN Saturday evening at 6:00 PM ET in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Can the Cavs cover the 5.5-point spread as home favorites?
The New York Knicks are 47-35 on the season. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Knicks are 44-34-4 ATS on the year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 51-31 on the season. They’re 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Cavs are 42-36-4 ATS on the year.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
505 New York Knicks (+5.5) at 506 Cleveland Cavaliers (-5.5); O/U 217
6:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 15, 2023
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Knicks vs. Cavaliers Public Betting Information
Our NBA Public Betting Information page indicates that 54% of public bettors are currently backing the Cavaliers -5.5 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.
New York Knicks DFS Spin
Knicks power forward Julius Randle has been out since March 29th with an ankle injury. His status had been in doubt, but it’s been reported that he’s targeting Saturday for his return to the floor. Randle is officially listed as questionable and will test his ankle prior to game time to see if he can play. This season, Randle is New York’s leading scorer with 25.1 points per game and he leads the Knicks in rebounding with 10 rebounds per game.
Knicks shooting guard RJ Barrett will likely have a significant impact on Saturday’s game. For the season, Barrett is averaging 19.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.7 made three-pointers per game. The lefty out of Duke should offer some nice DFS value due to his volume in Game 1 of this first-round series on Saturday.
Cleveland Cavaliers DFS Spin
Cavaliers small forward Isaac Okoro is questionable for Saturday’s tilt with the Knicks. He’s dealing with a knee injury. Okoro is averaging 6.4 points per game in 21.8 minutes per contest for the Cavaliers this season.
New York seems likely to dedicate extra resources to stopping Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell. This could pave the way for Cavs’ point guard Darius Garland to have a big day. Garland is posting 21.6 points, 7.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.4 made three-pointers per game for Cleveland this season. He’s scored at least 17 points in each of the three games he’s played against New York this year, and he seems like a lock to hit that number again on Saturday.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers NBA Betting Trends
New York is 36-15-1 ATS in their last 52 road games.
New York is 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
Cleveland is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games.
Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers NBA Prediction
It’s worth monitoring the injury status of New York’s Julius Randle all the way up to game time. He went from likely being out Saturday to now being likely to suit up for the Knicks. Either way, I like New York in this game. The Knicks have played well against the Cavaliers of late. To wit, New York is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games against Cleveland. The Knicks are also 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against the Cavs in Cleveland. Even if Randle is unable to play, the Knicks just beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland without their star power forward on March 31st by a score of 130-116. Cleveland may ultimately win the series, but I like the underdog Knicks to cover on the road in Game 1.
NBA BETTING PREDICTION: NEW YORK KNICKS +5.5
