Cleveland Cavaliers Picks
2nd in Central
(52 - 30)
Next Game
CLE @ NY Picks
NBA Picks
Jalen Brunson o6.5 Total Assists (+111)
Jalen Brunson came up short for us on this prop in Game 1 with only six assists, but if the sportsbooks are going to hang 6.5 again at plus money, I’m hitting the button without hesitation. Nothing I saw in Game 1 changed my opinion on this number. If anything, I feel even more confident attacking it in Game 2. Brunson absolutely cooked James Harden in isolation, and I have a hard time believing the Cleveland Cavaliers will continue letting him attack Harden one-on-one over and over again. More help defense and double teams should create additional assist opportunities for Brunson. Even though Brunson attempted 29 field goals in Game 1, he still finished with 12 potential assists, which is very encouraging in my opinion. I price the Over 6.5 assists closer to -165.
NY -6.5 (-105)
New York showed plenty of rust in Game 1 after an eight-day layoff but still controlled most of the key metrics despite trailing by 22 in the fourth quarter. The Cavs won’t catch them flat again. The Knicks lead all playoff teams in net rating and effective field goal percentage, while Cleveland’s road efficiency has fallen off a cliff. The Cavs also looked badly rattled late in Game 1 which is a big red flag the the MSG crowd ready to errupt again.
James Harden o17.5 Points Scored (-120)
The Knicks blitzed James Harden in the first half of Game 1, sending extra defenders to force the ball out of his hands. He scored only seven points on 3-for-5 shooting and couldn’t get inside to draw fouls in the opening two frames. However, Cleveland was able to skip the ball to open hands and that built the big lead. New York’s crazy comeback started when it switched up its defensive scheme in the second half and played Harden straight up. He took 10 FGAs and got to the foul line six times but walked away with just eight points in the 2H due to poor shooting (2 for 10). Harden’s usage jumped from 23.7% in the 1H to 29.2% in the 2H and if the Knicks stick to what worked, Harden will get plenty of scoring opportunities but the Cavs won’t generate so many wide open looks. Projections are bullish on “The Beard” with most models north of his 17.5-point total, including a few on the happy side of 20 points.
Josh Hart u12.5 Points Scored (-125)
Josh Hart may not play as big a role in this series as he has in the Knicks’ postseason run. Cleveland played off of him, using Allen to guard and begging Hart to shoot. The Knicks also got good defense from Landry Shamet, who stole minutes from Hart. Game 2 models come in short of this 12.5-point total.
Jarrett Allen o19.5 Points and Rebounds (-112)
The New York Knicks are susceptible inside, as we saw versus Joel Embiid in Round 2, and the Cleveland Cavaliers must make a focused effort on getting Jarrett Allen touches – especially against smaller forwards. Allen can also put up points from offensive rebounds and snatched six of his seven boards on that end. He generated 17 rebounding chances in Game 1 yet walked away with only one defensive rebound. Projections call for 13+ points and 10+ boards Thursday.
The Cleveland Cavaliers can crush the New York Knicks inside with Jarrett Allen. He’s often drawing smaller forwards and projections for Game 2 call for 13+ points and 10+ rebounds. With Evan Mobley guarding Karl-Anthony Towns in the high post, Allen is free to protect the paint and send shots back.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were playing excellent basketball up until that flop in the fourth quarter. The collapse is going to scare a lot of people off, so we’re getting some extra padding on the point spread with Cleveland. The Cavs are a solid 27-9 SU off a loss on the year, including a 4-2 record off a loss in the postseason. Jarrett Allen should have seen the ball more in Game 1 and we’ll see Cleveland feed the interior to compress the Knicks perimeter defense. His game projections sit above 13 points with a ceiling of 10 rebounds. The rebounding chances were there in Game 1, he just deferred those boards to Evan Mobley.
Josh Hart may not play as big a role in this series as he has in the Knicks’ postseason run. Cleveland played off of him, using Allen to guard and begging Hart to shoot. The Knicks also got good defense from Landry Shamet, who stole minutes from Hart. Game 2 models come in short of this 12.5-point total.
Consensus Picks
More Consensus
60% picking Cleveland vs New York to go Over
Total PicksCLE 259, NY 172
Top User Picks
More Picks'SouthernMotion' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (215.5)
SouthernMotion is #1 on picking games that New York is in with a record of (37-28-0) and +14150 units on the season.
'jetfan4340' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (216.5)
jetfan4340 is #1 on picking games that Cleveland is in with a record of (48-30-1) and +13350 units on the season.
'bonny2bag' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (214.5)
bonny2bag is #2 on picking games that New York is in with a record of (38-35-0) and +13140 units on the season.
'merle1858' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (216.5)
merle1858 is #3 on picking games that Cleveland is in with a record of (40-38-0) and +9700 units on the season.
'sssnnnlll' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (214.5)
sssnnnlll is #4 on picking games that New York is in with a record of (36-29-0) and +11450 units on the season.
'Seawep95' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (214.5)
Seawep95 is #4 on picking games that Cleveland is in with a record of (40-28-0) and +9700 units on the season.
'PMaeson' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (214.5)
PMaeson is #5 on picking games that New York is in with a record of (35-24-0) and +11200 units on the season.
'chickenhawk3233' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Under (215.5)
chickenhawk3233 is #7 on picking games that New York is in with a record of (19-7-0) and +10350 units on the season.
'sandhog1' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Over (215.5)
sandhog1 is #8 on picking games that Cleveland is in with a record of (41-37-1) and +8100 units on the season.
'redsox99' picks Cleveland vs New York to go Over (214.5)
redsox99 is #9 on picking games that New York is in with a record of (32-32-0) and +9500 units on the season.