The Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29, 30-8 Home) play host to the New York Knicks (44-33, 22-16 Away) Friday in a matchup that pits suffocating defense against great offense. New York defeated the Miami Heat 101-92 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Immanuel Quickley was a top performer with 24 points.
The Knicks are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland dropped a close one on Tuesday at State Farm Arena, falling to the Atlanta Hawks 120-118. Donovan Mitchell had 44 points in the loss, carrying the team. The Cavaliers are fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The teams are meeting for the last time this season. Cleveland will be looking to even the season series after coming out on top in only one of the three previous games. New York won the last showdown 105-103 at Madison Square Garden on January 24. Julius Randle led the Knicks with 36 points and 13 rebounds.
Mitchell had 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the loss. The Knicks have been led this season by Randle and Jalen Brunson, who are averaging 25.1 and 23.6 points per game, respectively. Randle also has grabbed 10.0 rebounds per game, ninth-most in the NBA, while Brunson has dished 6.1 assists per game.
Mitchell has powered the Cavs on offense, averaging 27.6 points per game. He has the seventh-best scoring average in the league. Darius Garland is doling out 7.8 assists per game, eighth-most in the league, and Jarrett Allen is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game (10th). The Cavaliers are the NBA’s best team in defensive efficiency, while the Knicks rank fifth in offensive efficiency.
The teams have split their last 10 matchups at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (5-5).New York is 5-5 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +2.3 (116.1-113.8). Cleveland has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 113.6 points per game on average while allowing 107.7 (+5.9 margin).
KNICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Quentin Grimes: 26.4 | 15.7 | +10.7
Points per game:
Immanuel Quickley: 22.6 | 14.2 | +8.4
Rebounds per game:
Julius Randle: 5.6 | 10.0 | -4.4
CAVALIERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Rebounds per game:
Jarrett Allen: 12.7 | 9.9 | +2.7
Assists per game:
Donovan Mitchell: 2.2 | 4.5 | -2.3
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Cleveland Cavs (-210)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
