Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

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The opening round of the NBA Playoffs resumes on Friday night with a pivotal Game 3 showdown between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. Coverage begins from Madison Square Garden in NYC at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS vs. NEW YORK KNICKS BETTING PREDICTION

The first two matchups of this series were filled with abysmal offensive performances, as the Knicks averaged just 95.5 PPG on 39% FG and 26% 3FG across a 1-1 split to kick off their postseason campaign, while the Cavaliers averaged just 102 PPG on 46% FG and 37% 3FG. So, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen the total stoop from 216 in Game 1 all the way down to 211 ahead of Game 3, but quite frankly, the total for this one still appears to be set a bit too high.

In Games 1 and 2, the Knicks and Cavs combined for a lowly average of just 197.5 PPG, with at least one team falling short of 100 points in both contests as well as neither squad clearing the 107-point mark; which may seem a little bit out of character for a Knicks’ team averaging 116 PPG squaring off against a Cavs’ team averaging 112 PPG, but rest assured, we’re destined to see a similar pace of play between these squads the rest of the way.

The Cavaliers are an excellent all-around basketball team, ranked Top 10 in the league in both offensive and defensive rating, together equating to the second-best net rating; however, they play very slow and heavily rely their twin towers in halfcourt sets, also ranked dead-last in pace; and when teams are able to ramp up the tempo against them, they become visibly disjointed and fatigued.

While on the other hand, New York certainly isn’t known for dominating the defensive end of the floor, ranked just 19th in defensive rating as opposed to 3rd in offensive rating. However, back in Game 1, the Knicks were carried by the duo of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart combining for 44 points on 54% from the field, while the rest of the team scored just 57 points on 34% shooting. So, it almost goes without saying, the Knicks’ defense had to step up in a big way in order to secure their first victory of this series.

For most of the year, the majority of basketball fans have acknowledged the fact that Cleveland is an excellent defensive team, and ultimately, their defensive play is the main factor capable of separating them from the rest of the pack. However, it’s also safe to say that most people weren’t expecting to see such a high level of defensive dominance from them in the playoffs, especially against a Knicks’ squad that ranks Top 3 in offensive rating.

Regardless of whichever side you stand on at this point and time, though, it’s almost impossible to ignore the dreadful offensive numbers that these teams have posted in the first two matchups of this series, and quite frankly, there’s very little reason to believe that some type of dramatic shift in pace is due to occur as this series transitions to New York for Game 3, especially after seeing these squads fall short of 199 combined points in back-to-back contests to open the set. Take the ‘under’ in this one.

Score Prediction: Cavaliers 103, Knicks 101
Best Bet: Under 211.5 (-110)

Take the Under!

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS vs. NEW YORK KNICKS BETTING ODDS

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS vs. NEW YORK KNICKS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Location: New York City, New York
TV-Time: ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET
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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS vs. NEW YORK KNICKS BETTING STATS

Cleveland Cavaliers
SU: 52-32
ATS: 45-39
O/U: 40-44
PPG: 112.3
OPPG: 106.9

New York Knicks
SU: 48-36
ATS: 47-37
O/U: 44-39-1
PPG: 116.2
OPPG: 113.1

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Updated on 03/17/2026

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS vs. NEW YORK KNICKS BETTING TRENDS

• The total has gone UNDER in five of Cleveland's last six games.
• The Cavs are 13-6 SU in their last 19 games.
• The Cavs are 1-4 ATS in their last five matchups against New York.
• The Knicks are 6-3 SU in their last nine games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of New York's last five games against Cleveland.
• The total has gone OVER in four of New York's last five home games.
• The Cavs are 1-4 SU in their last five games against New York.
• The Cavs are 6-1 SU in their last seven road games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of Cleveland's last five road games against New York.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson