The New York Knicks have one final chance to gain a regular-season victory over one of the two teams seeded ahead of them in the Eastern Conference postseason when the Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers in their final home game on Friday. The Knicks (50-30) lost their previous three contests to Cleveland, who has the best record in the Eastern Conference at 63-17, and they are also 0-4 against the Celtics. Donovan Mitchell (ankle), Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (rest), and Max Strus (knee) missed Thursday’s game and are injuries to monitor for Cleveland. Josh Hart (knee), OG Anunoby (thumb) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) didn’t play on Thursday for New York and are also situations to watch for with both teams on the second half of a back-to-back.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are favored by 9 points in the latest Cavaliers vs. Knicks odds, according to the SportsLine consensus. The over/under is 227 points. Before entering any Knicks vs. Cavaliers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters the final week of the 2024-25 NBA regular season on a sizzling 155-115 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 21-10 (68%) on top-rated NBA against the spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on New York vs. Cleveland. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Cavs vs. Knicks:
- Cavaliers vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -9 on DraftKings Sportsbook
- Cavaliers vs. Knicks over/under: 227 points
- Cavaliers vs. Knicks money line: Knicks -322, Cavaliers +257
- CLE: The Cavaliers are 5-1 against the spread (ATS) as an away underdog this season
- NY: The Knicks are 6-2 ATS over their last eight games
- Cavaliers vs. Knicks picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Cavaliers vs. Knicks streaming: FuboTV (try for free)
Why the Cavaliers can cover
The Cavaliers are 8-1 without Mitchell this season with five of those victories coming by double-digits. Cleveland has basically had the No. 1 seed locked up for weeks and even as it rested some starters during that stretch, the Cavaliers are still 7-3 over its last 10 games due to its depth. That variety of playmakers is why Cleveland has the second-best record in all the NBA and regardless of who plays or rests on Friday, Cleveland can keep its undefeated stretch against New York going on Friday.
The Cavaliers have the No. 1 scoring offense in the NBA at 122.2 points per game and are coming off a 114-112 road loss to the Pacers, who have the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, on Thursday despite resting key starters. Ty Jerome had 24 points against Indiana and he’s averaging 21.8 points over his last four games with an increased opportunity compared to 12.5 ppg overall this season. De’Andre Hunter added 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Pacers and New York could be without multiple starters as well. See which team to pick here.
Why the Knicks can cover
While the Cavaliers aren’t playing for anything to change their postseason positioning, the Knicks are still fighting to hold onto the No. 3 seed with a one-game advantage over the Pacers. Some Knicks fans may argue it’s actually better to be the No. 4 seed and avoid a possible second-round matchup against the Celtics, but NBA teams don’t operate that way. The Knicks are one win away from their most victories since the 2012-13 NBA season and can gain some momentum by finally knocking off Cleveland on Friday, which could give additional confidence if they meet in the postseason.
The Knicks are 7-4 over their last 11 games and are 20-15-1 ATS as a home favorite this season. Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 115-106 loss to the Pistons on Thursday and Jalen Brunson played in his third game following his ankle injury. Hart, Anunoby and Robinson could be back for the second game of a back-to-back in a contest that has more emotional and positional meaning for New York and the Knicks will likely hold the advantage in available starters as well for Friday. See which team to pick here.
How to make Cavaliers vs. Knicks picks
The model has simulated Knicks vs. Cavaliers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over projecting 230 points, and it also says one side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Cavaliers vs. Knicks, and which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Knicks vs. Cavaliers spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 155-115 roll on top-rated NBA picks since last season, and find out.
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