Cleveland is one of the best teams in the NBA and has the home court advantage, and will obviously be heavy favorites. Everyone should be rested up after the break so fatigue isn’t expected to be a factor.
New York will need a strong second half run to make the playoffs but it will be really tough to pull this upset.
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The Cavaliers are 39-16 straight up and 26-27-2 against the spread. Cleveland has gone 15-12-2 against the spread at home on the season. The Cavs have been the favorite in all but seven games this season. They will be favored again in this one and are 24-22-2 against the spread in that scenario.
The Knicks are 23-34 straight up and 30-27 against the spread. They are an even 14-14 against the spread in road games on the season. New York has gone 19-18 against the spread as the underdog this season.
Injury Report
The Cavaliers are going to be without All-Star forward Kevin Love for the next several weeks. He had arthroscopic knee surgery and it’s a critical blow for Cleveland as it attempts to keep the Boston Celtics and the rest of the pack from tracking them down in the East.
The Cavs have the No. 1 seed in the East by three games over Boston, so it seems unlikely they give it up, but the Love injury doesn’t help matters. He was playing very well this season, averaging 20.0 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range.
Tristan Thompson will now be asked to step up his scoring and rebounding load down low.
Key Stat
4. That’s how many games out of the eighth seed the Knicks sit at the All-Star Break. There has been a lot of trade speculation surrounding star forward Carmelo Anthony. If New York slips, it would not be a surprise if the Knicks attempt to trade Anthony, although he has a no-trade clause and would have to agree to the deal.
Anthony is averaging 23.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and if he doesn’t happen to get dealt before this game, it would certainly affect the spread. It seems very likely Anthony is still on the team for this matchup, and he will go against longtime friend LeBron James.
If Anthony can get hot from the field it could keep the Knicks in this contest, but even if he plays well the Cavs have much more depth.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavaliers’ biggest test will come in the playoffs when they fight for another NBA championship, but they want to make sure to wrap up the top seed in the East heading into it.
They should have no problem getting it, and will be able to flex their muscle in this game. Even without Love, the Cavs have a pair of superstars in James and Kyrie Irving who will dominate in this one.
The Cavs will cruise to the win, but keep an eye on the spread as the Knicks will get plenty of points as they aim for at least a cover.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 114, Knicks 103
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