The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a bettors' dream to kick off the season, going 3-0 ATS to go with a 2-1 SU mark.
After three tremendously tough games to kick off the season, things should settle down on this four-game home stand starting with the New York Knicks.
SCHEDULING
The docket couldn't be easier right now for Cleveland, something which should play into its hands. The Cavs haven't played a back-to-back since the opening two nights of the season, and they won't do so again until November 13 and 14. This game against New York is right in the midst of a bunch of pansies as well, as Cleveland has to deal with Philly, the Knicks, Philly again, Indiana and Utah to kick off November.
INJURIES
There was some injury concern about Kevin Love coming into the season, but the fact that he has a pair of double-doubles already and has played at least 33 minutes in two of his three games shows that that is no longer an issue.
However, the Cavaliers still have no real timetable for Kyrie Irving to return, while Iman Shumpert remains out until February with a broken wrist. The team has been just fine without them, though last time out against Miami, the starting backcourt of Mo Williams and J.R. Smith combined for just eight points.
New York is getting closer to the return of Arron Afflalo from a hamstring injury which has cost him the first three games of the year. That return though, won't be in this game against the Cavs.
KEY MATCHUP
The Knicks have all of a sudden become a bigger team and are doing a lot more scoring around the basket. Yes, it's a small sample set with just three games to look at, but the fact that this team is shooting 44.5 percent from the field and isn't just settling for three-point shots is proof that things might be looking up.
When New York has Robin Lopez, Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony on the floor at the same time, it has two seven-footers and a guy who is 6-foot-8 but plays like he's 6-foot-10. LeBron James is the type of guy who can go stride for stride with a similarly built Melo, but where are the matches for Porzingis and Lopez?
When Cleveland goes small, the Knicks are going to have to let their bulk on the inside do some work, and defending against that isn't exactly the forte of Love and Timofey Mozgov.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
We think this is a nice spot to take the Knicks and the points. They're off to a torrid start shooting the basketball, averaging over 114 points per game, and they could be well on their way to getting into the 100s again in this game against Cleveland if they can force the tempo of the proceedings.
Cleveland's rebounding edge it had these first few games will probably diminish in this one, and though there is plenty of scoring to go around to keep the hosts in front by a comfortable margin, we don't think it'll be enough to cover the spread against what could be a double-digit number early on in the year.
Cleveland 109, New York 103
BookMaker will be the first to have the point spread for this Wednesday game the night before tip. Now, you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers will start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4, 2015 at Quicken Loans Arena. The matchup will be televised nationally on ESPN.
