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The New York Knicks hit the road and head to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse where they will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
New York is 23-24 SU on the season and they are in last place in the Atlantic Division team standings. The Knicks are currently outside the Top 10 at no. 11 in the Eastern Conference team standings but are just one-half game behind 8th seeded Boston. The Knicks head to Cleveland with six wins in their last 10 games and a victory over the L.A. Clippers in their last outing.
Cleveland is 28-19 SU on the season. The Cavaliers are in third place in the Central Division team standings but are just one game behind leaders Chicago. They are also 5th in the East and are two games off the pace of Eastern Conference leaders Miami. The Cavs have won seven out of their last 10 games played and are coming off a win over the OKC Thunder in their last outing.
These teams played each other last November 7, 2021, with Cleveland winning at Madison Square Garden 126-109.
New York Knicks
New York snapped a three-game losing streak the last time out when they defeated the L.A. Clippers 110-102 as four-point favorites at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks were led by swingman RJ Barrett who had 28 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Julius Randle also had a big night with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and five assists while Evan Fournier pumped in 14 points while grabbing four boards.
The Knicks are just 27th in the league in scoring at 104.0 points per game this season. They are 10th in rebounding at 45.5 boards grabbed per contest and are 29th in passing at only 21.1 assists per game. New York ranks 6th in the NBA in scoring defense at 104.6 points per game allowed. The Knicks are also allowing their opponents to shoot 44.0% from the floor.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers returned to the winning column after losing to the Chicago Bulls. Cleveland defeated the OKC Thunder 94-87 last Saturday night behind Darius Garland who continues to impress with 23 points and 11 assists. Rookie Evan Mobley had a massive double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds while Jarrett Allen also had 14 points and 13 boards.
Cleveland is 22nd in the NBA in scoring at 107.2 points per game this season. They are 13th in passing at 45.3 boards grabbed per contest and are 8th in passing at 25.4 assists per game. The Cavaliers are the second-best defensive team in the NBA at 102.5 points per game conceded. They are also allowing opponents to shoot just 44.2% from the field.
Who Wins?
The Knicks are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played. New York is 11-10 SU in 21 road games played this season. The Cavaliers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. Cleveland is 13-9 SU in 22 home games played this season.
Head to head, the Knicks are 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the Cavaliers.
The Knicks’ offense has been up and down lately as they’ve failed to score more than 91 points twice in their last four games played. With Kemba Walker’s status for this game up in the air, the New York offense could struggle even more against a Cavaliers defense that allows opponents to shoot just 44.1% in Cleveland this season.
Please Note
With Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen patrolling the lanes, life won’t be any easier for New York’s most consistent Knicks, Julius Randle. R.J. Barrett’s ability to penetrate could also be affected.
New York plays well when they dominate the boards but that won’t be an easy thing to do with Cleveland’s frontcourt. With the Knicks unable to control the boards, it will be Cleveland who will be dictating this game behind Garland.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers
Other Bets to Make
The Knicks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played. New York is 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games when playing on zero days rest, 14-6 ATS in their last 20 Monday games, and 5-2 ATS in their last seven January games However, they are also just 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games after an ATS win, 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games after a straight up victory.
The Cavaliers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight home games against an opponent with a winning road record, 5-1 ATS in their last six Monday games, 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 home games, 25-8-2 ATS in their last 35 games when their opponent scores 100 or more points in their previous game, 17-7-1 ATS in their last 25 games when playing on one day rest, 14-36-2 ATS in their last 52 games after an ATS loss, and 19-9-2 ATS in their last 30 games played overall.
Knicks
+6 (-105)
Cavaliers
-6 (-115)
Odds from BetOnline as of 01/24/2022
The Knicks are 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS in their last four games played. Bot their ATS losses came in games where they failed to score 100 points. With Cleveland among the top defensive teams in the league, there’s a good chance the Knicks fail to score 100 points in this game.
Cleveland is just 1-4 ATS in their last five games but playing a struggling offense like New York would be a great way to get back on track. The Cavs have the defense to limit the Knicks’ scoring here. They also shoot better at home than they do away from it so Garland and company should have a better shooting night here and should be able to cover the spread.
Prediction: Cavaliers -6
The total has gone under in 10 out of the last 15 games played by the Knicks. The under is 4-2 in New York’s last six games played on the road, 4-0 in their last four Monday games, 6-1 in their last seven games after allowing more than 100 points in their previous game, 4-1 in their last five games after an ATS win, 4-1 in their last five games after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game, 6-2 in their last eight games after a straight up win, and 5-2 in their last seven games when playing on zero days rest.
The total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Cavaliers. The under is 4-0 in their last four games after an ATS loss, 4-1 in their last five Monday games, 4-1 in their last five home games against an opponent with a winning road record, 14-6 in their last 21 home games, 22-9 in their last 31 games after a straight up win, and 7-3 in their last 10 games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game.
Over
202 (-110)
Under
202 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 01/24/2022
Cleveland is one of the top defensive teams in the league this season and they are the 4th best UNDER team this season at 28-18-1. They have held five out of their last nine opponents to 102 or fewer points and the Knicks have been struggling to score as of late, hitting below the century mark twice in their last four games.
The Cavs aren’t an explosive scoring team too, as they put up just 107.7 points per game. The Knicks aren’t a bad defensive team either, ranking 6th overall in the league at 104.6 points per game allowed.
These are the no. 2 and no. 6 scoring defenses in the NBA. I don’t expect a shootout on Monday night.
Prediction: Under 202
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