Eastern Conference playoff contenders face off when New York Knicks (35-25) visit Cleveland Cavaliers (39-20) Sunday evening. This is a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series, which saw the Knicks eliminate the Cavaliers 4-1. These teams faced off in late October, with New York winning the first game and Cleveland winning the second. The Cavaliers have won three of their last four games, while New York has lost two in a row.
The Knicks are still without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. Donovan Mitchell is listed as questionable for Cleveland, but he is likely to play after missing the team’s last game. Caris LeVert is also questionable.
The Cavaliers are favorites with 6.5 points according to DraftKings Sports Betting with the total set at 213.5. Cleveland is -250 on the moneyline while New York is +205.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET
Choose ATS: Knicks +6.5
The Knicks look like a completely different team since their nine-game winning streak ended, largely because their two key starters are out. Even with the trade deadline reinforcements, New York has covered the spread just once in its last 11 games and is 1-4 ATS since the All-Star break. However, Cleveland isn’t faring much better from a betting standpoint. The Cavaliers have covered the spread once in the last eight games despite being favored each time.
I think the Cavaliers are capable of pulling out a win with Mitchell looking likely to return to the lineup, but I’ll take New York to cover. The Knicks have covered this line in the previous two matchups and I like Jalen Brunson to continue to propel this group while we wait for positive developments for Randle and Anunoby.
More less : Less than 213.5
These are two of the least friendly teams in the NBA, and that shouldn’t change much on Sunday. The Knicks are 23-37 on the year while the Cavs are 26-32-1 on the year. The previous two meetings between these teams went under this total, so I’ll take the score from the third game.
