Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 2 Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Barrett Badgers Cavs From Distance

The New York Knicks drew first blood in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, not only winning Game 1, but doing it on the road.

The NBA Playoff odds are calling for a Cleveland bounce-back in Game 2, with books opening the host Cavaliers as four-point favorites, and since moving the spread to as high as Cleveland -6 with New York guard Josh Hart listed as questionable for Tuesday’s tilt.

I give the skinny on the spread and Over/Under total for Game 2, as well as my best NBA picks and predictions for Knicks at Cavaliers on Tuesday, April 18.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 2 best odds

Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 2 picks and predictions

Oh, RJ Barrett.

The Canadian kid put up a stinker in the opening game of the series, shooting just 2-for-12 from the floor and finishing with seven points. Luckily, the Knicks were able to get supplemental offense off the bench from shooting guard Josh Hart, who scored 17 points in the win.

Hart was upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Game 2 after suffering an ankle injury, which potentially leaves New York short on offensive options when head coach Tom Thibodeau looks down the pine. The Knicks need the starters — namely Barrett — to bring a better effort in Game 2, and I believe they’ll get it. At least from beyond the arc.

Part of Barrett’s bad day was a 1-for-5 clip from 3-point range. The Cavaliers have leaned into their size inside and are playing drop defense on Barrett, giving him plenty of space on the perimeter. They’re showing very little respect for his range after Barrett closed the post-break schedule shooting a dismal 27% from distance, averaging 1.4 makes on about five attempts per game.

Barrett recognized Cleveland’s strategy and seems unfazed, telling reporters, “If I’m open I’m going to shoot it.” And with Hart likely out and Julius Randle still working his way back from his own ankle injury (3-for-10 on triples), Barrett will continue to get those touches from outside.

His 3-pointer prop for Game 2 is set at 1.5, with the Over paying at +116. The volume will be there for Barrett to challenge for two or more triples, which is something he’s done only four times in the past nine outings.

His 3-point projections for tonight are just on the other side of the prop total at 1.6, but I believe the gaps in the Knicks’ offense and the way Cleveland is defending him raises the ceiling on his makes from deep.

Before Game 1, Barrett had made at least two 3-point buckets in all four of the regular season meetings with the Cavs, shooting a collective 10-for-23 from beyond the arc in those games. I’ll buy low on the Over for his triples total tonight.

My best bet: Barrett Over 1.5 3-Pointers Made (+116)

Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 2 spread analysis

After the Knicks stole a 101-97 win as five-point closing underdogs at Cleveland in Game 1, NBA odds opened the Cavs as four-point favorites for Game 2.

But with Knicks’ super sub Josh Hart listed as doubtful with an ankle sprain and bettors banking on the bounce-back from the home team, that spread started to climb to as high as Cavaliers -6 as of Tuesday morning. Hart’s status was upgraded to questionable around 11 a.m. ET, and we saw some books adjust to Cavs -5.5.

Hart played a huge role in New York’s series-opening win, coming off the bench with 17 points and putting a bigger Cleveland defense on its heels with his ability to push the ball in transition. Now, Tom Thibodeau has to shake up his rotation, and has much less scoring depth to pull from tonight.

Defensively, the Knicks did a great job disrupting Cleveland’s pick-and-roll sets in the series opener, throwing double-teams at point guard Darius Garland and not allowing him to facilitate the offense with a head of steam down the key.

The Cavaliers shot just better than 43% from the floor and coughed the ball up 14 times, which lead to 26 points off turnovers for New York. The Cavs got very little help on offense from the reserves, with the bench shooting a collective 4-for-13 for a total of just 14 points.

Cleveland has been a solid bet at home on the season, with a 24-17-1 ATS mark as a host. On the flip side of this, New York has been a great road bet — as proved in Game 1 — with a 27-14-1 ATS count as a visitor.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 2 Over/Under analysis

The Game 1 total closed at 216.5 points, and the 101-97 final score gave plenty of head room to Under bettors, with that opener rolling out a pace rating of 95.0 — among the slower series openers on the weekend.

The Cavaliers play one of the more methodical paces on offense in the NBA, and Game 1 very much fell into that tempo. The Knicks are also among the bottom third of the league in pace rating.

Today’s Over/Under hit the board at 213 points and has since adjusted to up to 214, with a high of 215 points at some shops as of Tuesday morning. Hart’s status does take a chunk out of the Knicks offense as well as slows their approach, as he’s great at grabbing defensive rebounds and pushing the pace on the other end.

While New York managed to come away with the win Saturday, the offense was not especially sharp. The team fired at a 42% clip from the field, including just 8-for-29 from beyond the arc. Cleveland’s tall interior ranked out as the best defense in the NBA during the regular season, but the Knicks are a far better attack then they showed in Game 1.

New York ranked No. 2 in offensive rating after the All-Star break and averaged 120 points in those final 22 games. The Knicks run a lot of spot-up sets, which can stretch the bigger Cleveland frontcourt and take advantage of one of the few weaknesses the Cavs have on that end of the floor. They givie up the sixth-highest scoring frequency to spot-up offenses (41.1% with 1.06 points per play) in the NBA.

Knicks vs Cavaliers betting trend to know

Cleveland is 17-23 Over/Under as a home favorite this season (57.5% Unders). Find more NBA betting trends for Knicks vs Cavaliers.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 2 game info

Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 2 key injuries

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