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The No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to Madison Square Garden in New York as they trail 2-1 to the No. 5 New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Knicks are coming off a 99-79 game-three victory.
Prediction 1
Jalen Brunson over 5.5 assists Player prop
20/27 (-135)
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Odds from
Prediction 2
Mitchell Robinson over 8.5 rebounds Player prop
20/27 (-135)
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Odds from
These odds from William Hill were correct at the time of writing.
New York vs Cleveland – Game Predictions
Contents
Oddsmakers have the Knicks as 2.5-point spread favorites and -151 on the moneyline compared to the Cavaliers (underdogs) at +110. The game total is set at 206.5 points.
Bettors have placed 70% of their wagers on Cleveland to cover the spread and 89% of the money on J.B. Bickerstaff’s team to win straight up and even the series.
Prediction 1: Jalen Brunson over 5.5 assists @ 20/27 (-135)
Jalen Brunson’s assist total at William Hill Sportsbook for game four is currently set at 0.7 lower (5.5) than his season average of 6.2.
The Villanova product has played in 12 games since March. Throughout that span, he’s recorded more than 5.5 assists on 66.6% of occasions (8-of-12).
Since the start of the season, New York’s floor general has only averaged less than 5.5 assists once in January, when he narrowly missed the mark by 0.1. In every other month, he’s averaged at least 5.5.
Brunson avg. assists by month
- April: 5.5
- March: 6.1
- February: 6.0
- January: 5.4
- December: 6.7
- November: 6.3
- October: 7.2
Brunson has beaten the prop 4-of-7 times when facing off against the Cavs this season.
The 26-year-old will attempt to make it three games in a row with at least six assists on Sunday.
Prediction 2: Mitchell Robinson over 8.5 rebounds 20/27 (-135)
William Hill has Robinson’s rebound total at 8.5, likely because he’s failed to clear the number so far during the first round of the postseason. The 7-footer has played under his season average in minutes (27) in two of the three games and is due for a bounce-back performance.
Before the series against the Cavs, Robinson went on a four-game tear where he recorded 14, 11, 16 and 20 rebounds.
The 25-year-old is averaging 9.4 rebounds per outing this season, which is nearly a full rebound above his current line of 8.5.
Before the playoff series, Mitchell had beaten the 8.5 rebounds prop in eight of his prior 10 contests.
During the regular season, New York ranked third in the NBA in rebounding rate (52.2%). The organization also finished fourth in rebounds per game (55.3) and should provide the Western Kentucky product plenty of opportunities if he can stay out of foul trouble.
Knicks vs Cavaliers – Can Cleveland tie things up?
The Cavs are trying to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-2018 season.
The franchise is a long shot to win the NBA title at 85/1 odds. The Knicks are currently 55/1 to win the championship.
New York
It’s been 10 years since the Knicks qualified for the Eastern Conference semifinals. A win Sunday would highly increase their chances up 3-1. Only 13 teams in NBA history have come back and won when facing the deficit.
New York Knicks Injury Report:
Shooting guard Quentin Grimes is questionable for the contest with a shoulder injury.
Center Jericho Sims is out for game four due to his shoulder.
New York Knicks Predicted Starting Lineup:
Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson
Randle averages a double-double per game and leads the Knicks in scoring (25.1 ppg) and rebounding (10). Brunson is first on the roster in assists per outing (6.2).
ESPN analytics gives New York a 55.8% chance to win on Sunday.
The Knicks are 7-3 in their last 10 games and 11-5 against the spread when playing as the home favorite.
Cleveland
The Cavaliers have enjoyed a successful first season since acquiring Donovan Mitchell last September. The former member of the Jazz was traded to the Cavaliers for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks and two pick swaps.
Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report:
Shooting guard Dylan Windler is out of game four with a foot injury.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Starting Lineup:
Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen
Mitchell leads the team and was seventh in the NBA in scoring (28.3 ppg). The “spider” is also first on the team in steals per game (1.5). Point guard Garland tops the squad in assists (7.8), and Allen is the top rebounder (9.8).
Cleveland is 13-7 straight up in its last 20 games but 1-5 against the spread in its last six matchups against New York.
Knicks vs Cavaliers Head-to-Head Record In 2023
New York leads Cleveland in head-to-head matchups 5-2 this season.
Postseason
- Apr 21: Knicks 99 Cavs 79
- Apr 18: Cavs 107 Knicks 90
- Apr 15: Knicks 101 Cavs 97
Regular season
- Mar 31: Knicks 130 Cavs 116
- Jan 24: Knicks 105 Cavs 103
- Dec 4: Knicks 92 Cavs 81
- Oct 30: Cavs 121 Knicks 108
New York vs Cleveland Game Details
- Date & Time: Sunday, April 23 at 1 p.m. ET
- Venue: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
- Where to watch the match in the UK: Sky Sports (TV), FuboTV or another live stream
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