The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t going to finish atop the Eastern Conference like many envisioned when the year began, but they are playing a good brand of basketball as the playoffs approach. Cleveland dealt with more than its fair share of tumult early in the season but has smoothed everything out and is beginning to play like a title conference contender.
The Cavaliers will aim to stay hot when they hit the road to face off against the New York Knicks early next week. New York may have the home court advantage but it is the inferior team and will be the underdog.
The Knicks have long been eliminated from the playoffs and it remains to be seen how focused they will be in the spoiler role in NBA basketball betting.
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Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 49-30 straight up and 30-48-1 against the spread. Cleveland has covered in 17 of 39 attempts on the road this season, which isn’t great but is actually better than the job it has done at home. The Cavaliers are 18-43-1 against the spread as the favorite this season.
The Knicks are 27-51 straight up and 36-42 against the spread. New York has covered in 20 of 38 attempts at home on the year. The Knicks are 26-32 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Player To Watch
Kevin Love -- The Cavs have arguably the best player on the planet in LeBron James, but it is the return of his sidekick which has helped Cleveland roll up some victories. Love missed a significant chunk of time this year due to injury but is back on the court and contributing heavily.
Love is averaging 17.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season. He has racked up a pair of double-doubles within his past three games and had 16 points and six rebounds last time out in a win over the Wizards.
Love is the second scorer the Cavaliers desperately needed and the pieces have fallen into place nicely behind him.
Key Stat
6. That’s the number of losses for the Knicks in their past seven games as this team is limping to the finish line. The Knicks were showing some life early in the season but once star forward Kristaps Porzingis went down with a season-ending injury, that was the end of any realistic hopes of making the playoffs.
New York is still in the midst of a rebuild and has dropped three straight games, including a 24-point loss to the Magic last time out. That type of performance doesn’t inspire much confidence, especially against a Cavaliers team that is in a battle for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks have not played very well either at home or on the road of late and it would be a surprise to see them pull off this upset.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Cleveland has won five consecutive games but the hard-charging 76ers are right on its tail in the standings. The Cavs will be tuned in for this one and should not have too much trouble jumping out to a quick lead and holding on for the victory.
Take Cleveland to both win this game as well as cover the spread in NBA basketball spread betting. It remains to be seen if the Cavaliers can become a true title contender in the playoffs but they should be able to head into the postseason on a high note, including this victory.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 109, Knicks 101
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