The Knicks have taken complete control of their opening-round playoff series against the Cavaliers, moving ahead 3-1 with a momentous home victory. Now, they’ll head back to Ohio to try and end the proceedings in Game 5.
Will the Cavaliers’ offense finally pick it back up and make this one a series, or will the Knicks continue their stellar defensive play?
Let’s break it all down in our Cavaliers vs Knicks preview and prediction for Game 5.
Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 5 Odds
NBA odds used for these best bets are current as of Tuesday, April 25, at 1 p.m. ET and were found at DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Moneyline: Knicks (+185) • Cavaliers (-215)
- Spread: Knicks +5.5 (-110) • Cavaliers -5.5 (-110)
- Total Points: Under 202.5 (-110) • Over 202.5 (-110)
Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 5 Prediction
Cavaliers 99, Knicks 96
I don’t really feel overly confident in Cleveland’s ability to bounce back here and win, but it seems as if this team has got one more good offensive performance in it. After all, the Cavaliers did rank 12th in three-point shooting during the regular season and finished the season with a 116.8 offensive rating in the second half, ranking 13th.
- See more of our best bets for Game 5 in our Cavaliers vs Knicks Prop Bets.
Shooting variance should hit the Cavaliers in the right way here, and I think we’ll see one final fight out of them at home.
Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 5 Best Bets
Knicks +5.5 (-110) • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 2 Units
Why, exactly, have oddsmakers refused to budge off of their pre-series assertions? Cleveland was a 5.5-point favorite at home earlier in the series only to lose once and win once on what was a statistical anomaly.
I think it’s abundantly clear at this stage of the series that the Knicks are the better team. They won three out of four against Cleveland during the regular season, meaning they’ve now taken six of the eight meetings overall.
They are the second-best rebounding team in the NBA up against one of the worst rebounding teams. Mitchell Robinson is dominating on the glass and stunning Cleveland’s interior scorers. On top of that, Donovan Mitchell has been nowhere to be found on offense, which has tanked Cleveland’s shooting numbers.
I have no faith in the Cavaliers to pull off a decisive victory like the one they had in Game 2 of this series, so I’ll grab the points here with the Knicks.
Keep in mind that even Game 2 was pretty close for most of the proceedings, and if not for a ridiculous gap in the three-point shooting numbers (24.1% vs. 42.4%) that game would have come down to the wire.
Lock this one in for your NBA pick of the day.
Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 4
- Prediction: Knicks 104, Cavaliers 91
- Result: Knicks 102, Cavaliers 93
Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 3
- Prediction: Knicks 102, Cavaliers 99
- Result: Knicks 99, Cavaliers 79
Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 2
- Prediction: Knicks 98, Cavaliers 96
- Result: Cavaliers 107, Knicks 90
Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 1
- Prediction: Knicks 99, Cavaliers 94
- Result: Knicks 101, Cavaliers 97
Cavaliers vs Knicks Series Preview
The fourth- and fifth-best teams in the Eastern Conference will meet in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and despite losing the season series between these two sides, the higher-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers are favored.
Where can we profit in this best-of-seven series? Let’s get into some Cavaliers vs Knicks series prop bets.
Cavaliers vs Knicks Series Odds
To Win Series: Cavaliers (-200) • Knicks (+165)
It makes sense to price both teams this closely given their very similar records, and while the Cavaliers did drop three of four to the Knicks this year, they should still be favored in the series.
With that said, though, this line should arguably be tighter. The only thing Cleveland has going for it is home-court advantage, and the fact that Julius Randle will probably miss a game or two.
NBA odds used for this series betting section are current as of Wednesday, April 12, at 11 a.m. ET and were found at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cavaliers vs Knicks Series Prediction
Knicks Win 4-2
I’m not overly concerned about the injury to Randle here for the Knicks. The bottom line is that after losing to Cleveland in October, they’ve looked like a considerably stronger team in each of their other three meetings.
New York has one of the best benches in basketball this season, ultimately finishing fourth in net rating — two spots ahead of Cleveland, which finished sixth. One thing it has going for it is the second-best offensive rating in the second half of the season, which surely will help combat Cleveland’s strong defense.
While the injury to Randle is stealing headlines, it’s not nearly enough to keep me off the Knicks here. The fact is, they ranked 12th in defensive rebounding rate this year and second in offensive rebounding rate.
Cleveland was 20th in both regards and a disastrous 29th in the second half in total rebounding rate.
Cavaliers vs Knicks Series Best Bets
Knicks -1.5 Games (+255) • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Forget a conventional spread. I think the best NBA bet in this series is the alternate spread here with the Knicks.
The Knicks won handily in Cleveland the last time they played there and swept the team at home this year. They’re not only the best rebounding team in basketball since the break, but their bench ranks fourth in rebounding as well.
We’ve seen time and time again in the playoffs that rebounding will swing matchups, and a team with a glaring issue in that area can’t be trusted, even if Randle will be missing. Mitchell Robinson led the league in offensive rebounding rate this year and absolutely destroyed Cleveland the last time he saw this team.
