Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Game 1 Prediction and Odds: 2023 NBA Playoffs

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The coming Cavs vs Knicks series in the first round of the Easter Conference playoffs promises to be a close battle between the 4th and the 5ht seed. Both teams are delighted to be back in the post-season and both have young and exciting rosters ready to lock horns in a fierce battle from game 1. With that in mind below we give you a short preview of their game 1 clash and a few free betting tips to go with it.

These odds from William Hill were correct at the time of writing.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks – Game Predictions

The bookies give this first-round series the highest odds to go all the way to 7 games and the reasons are clear as these two sides are very evenly matched. In any case, the homecourt advantage should give the Cavs some edge at least in game 1.

Prediction 1: Allen Double Double

The Cavs like to use both their bigs a lot, and Jarrett Allen had a solid regular season averaging 14.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. This is practically a double double for the big man already but against the Knicks he tends to do even better. Over his last 6 appearances vs the Knicks, Allen averaged 15.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. This is why we think a double double for him now is a very likely scenario.

Allen missed several games near the end of the regular season with a groin issue but he has been given the all-clear for game 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Prediction 2: Over 7.5 Garland Assists

Our next free betting tip looks at another of the Cavs’ stars. Darius Garland is the main ball-handler and he leads his team in assists. He averaged 7.8 assists during the regular season. However, a closer look shows that at home he averaged 8.3 assists. That’s why we think he will be able to cover the 7.5 assist spread for this game.

Cavs vs Knicks Preview – Can the Knicks stop Mitchell?

With this series set to be a close battle, the importance of game 1 can’t be underestimated. Both the Cavs and their visitors the Knicks will try their best to get an early edge.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland’s acquisition of Donovan Mitchell last summer gave them just the volume-scorer they needed and this led to the Cavs having a 51-31 regular season and securing a top 4 seed on their return to the postseason for the first time since LeBron left them for the second time.

The Cavs like to have both their bigs Allen and Mobley on the court a lot. They also use aggressive screening in the halfcourt to get the matchups they want. Garland will need to be at his best in this series, as everyone expects the Knicks to pile on defensively on Mitchell in an attempt to slow him down.

New York Knicks

Signing the most valuable free agent Jalen Brunson last summer was crucial for the Knicks. His arrival also resurrected the stagnating career of Julius Randell and the duo led their team to a 47-35 regular season and the 5th seed in the East.

Now, the big issue ahead of this game 1 is how bad the absence of Randell would be felt. He’s injured and hopes are that he will return very soon but for now Randell is not even doing any contact work so it seems he will sit out the first 2 games in Cleveland. Randall led the league in minutes played in clutch time, so his absence is set to be felt a lot near the end of the match. Still, with Brunson ready to take the lead role it’s all to play for as far as the Knicks are concerned.

Cavs vs Knicks Head-to-Head Record In 2023

Knicks won the regular season H2H 3-1. They lost 108-121 back in October in Cleveland but then won the next 3. However, it must be stressed that there was caviar regarding all of their 3 wins. The first 2 were achieved when Mitchell and Garland were both nursing injuries and the most recent one saw many of the regulars not playing.

Cavs vs Knicks Game Details

• Date & Time: Saturday, April 15, 2023, 23:00 GMT
• Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland, Ohio
• Where to watch the match in the UK: Sky Sports (TV), NBA Live Pass, or other live streams

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