A late rally by the Cleveland Cavaliers fell just short, as the New York Knicks started their playoffs with a big road win, 101-97. Jalen Brunson had 27 points for the Knicks, with 21 coming after the halftime intermission, and Julius Randle came back from an ankle injury to chip in 19. Even though Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points for the home team and led that late rally, the Cavaliers could not get over the hump, and now they face a must-win Game 2 if they want to avoid heading east already down 0-2 in the series. Let’s break down Tuesday night’s matchup, and don’t commit to any wagers on this game until you read our NBA betting prediction.
NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Preview
N.Y. Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers, Game 2
When: Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 7:30 pm ET
Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland
TV: TNT
Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM New York City / WTAM 1100 AM Cleveland
Live Stream: Sling TV
NBA Odds: Cleveland -5 / O/U 214 // Cleveland -201 / New York +167
Why should you bet on the Knicks?
Jalen Brunson is in his first postseason in New York after playing a key role in Dallas’ trip to the Western Conference Finals last year. He only played nine minutes in the first half because of some early foul trouble, but one of the stars of Villanova’s national championship teams continued to show he can produce at a high level, knocking down several huge shots in the fourth quarter of Game 1. When he faltered, Julius Randle was there to pick him up in his first action since March 29, including a key offensive rebound in the waning seconds with the Knicks only up, 99-97.
The Knicks are 45-35-2 against the spread this season, but when they have been underdogs of at least five points, they have gone just 3-5-2 against the numbers. The Knicks do have an efficient offense, ranked sixth in points per 100 possessions (114.9). They also get a boost on defense from Mitchell Robinson (1.8 blocks per game) and Josh Hart (1.2 steals per game). Hart will also jump into the offense and knock down some key shots, as he did in Game 1 with a monster three-ball in the fourth, punctuating a mostly quiet 17 points and 10 boards in his playoff debut.
Why should you put your money on the Cavaliers?
Cleveland still almost came back and won Game 1 despite getting very little bench scoring. To go along with Mitchell’s 38 points, Darius Garland contributed 17 points, and Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 14 boards. Evan Mobley struggled with his shooting, going just 4 of 13, and he had just eight points on the night. If the bench can get things going, then the Cavs do have the offense to outscore New York.
The Cavaliers aren’t an intimidating team on the boards, pulling down just 41.1 rebounds per game (25th overall). However, the Knicks only grab 41.2 per game, so the Cavaliers should be able to do better near the end of games on the glass than they did in Game 1. They lead the NBA in scoring defense (106.9 points permitted per game), and the defense did its job, by and large, against the Knicks.
Final Score and Prediction
Even though the teams averaged a combined 228.3 points per game in the regular season, they only combined for 198 in the series opener, which makes a point total of 214 sound about right. Defense tends to make a greater presence in the postseason, helped on the one hand by greater effort on that end of the court and more pressure on the shooters on the other. I like Cleveland to grind out a 105-101 win.
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