Cleveland Cavaliers (49-31 SU, 31-48-1 ATS) vs. New York Knicks (28-52 SU, 37-43 ATS)
Time: Monday, April 9th, 2018 7:35 PM EDT
Where: Madison Square Garden New York, NY
TV: NBA TV / MSG
by Keith, Professional NBA Handicapper, Predictem
Odds Cleveland -1500, New York +876
Point Spread: New York +12.5
Total Line: 223.5
The Cleveland Cavaliers will venture down to the Big Apple as they will take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York for an Eastern Conference fixture. The tip-off is at for 7:35 PM and is due to be broadcast on both MSG and NBA TV for targeted demographics. The Cavaliers have won three of the last four meetings between both teams. The two clubs last met in November, where the Cavs traced by the Knickerbockers by a score of 104-100.
The Knicks come into the game off a bitter nail-biting defeat. The Knickerbockers were defeated by a two-point loss against their arch rival the Philadelphia 76ers in the City of Brotherly Love, in their most recent exploit. As for Cleveland, the Cavs also fell prey to a divisional rival that has had their number. The Cavaliers step in on the heels of a 115-102 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. New York, in particular, has been flirting with futility as of late. The Knicks are 2-8 SU over their last ten meetings.
From a betting perspective, several trends have caught our attention. First off, Cleveland has been a coin-toss proposition on the road as they are 20-20 away from the Q. The Knicks are flirting with the possibility of a being a .500 team at home as they are 19-21 SU in the World’s Most Famous Arena. Given these two narratives, the contest could be classed as a toss-up even if Cleveland is a superior team on paper. Read about fading favorites in this article “NBA Betting Advice“.
There is no team in the East like Cleveland even if they do not have the best record. After all, the Cavaliers have been the juggernaut in this conference for years and were the last team from their part of the Mississippi to win an NBA Championship. Given how they hit their form in the critical phases of any campaign, the Cavaliers are always an enticing option at this juncture.
There are several variables here that make the Knicks a dangerous team for Cleveland to play. Despite Cleveland being a playoff-caliber franchise, the Knicks are the more physical team on the boards, play better defense, and overall shoot better from the charity stripe. These three components make the Knicks a tough out for Cleveland especially given the fact that this affair will be taking place on New York’s home court where they have been tough all season long.
Presently, there is little data available to derive how the markets will shape up. What we can deduce is that Cleveland will be a mid to large-range favorite in this contest and the public will likely smother the Cavs as they are a public club. Presently, the Over/Under remains off at this time.
The fact remains that Cleveland is a basketball team that is more prone to overlays than perhaps any team in the NBA at this point. As mentioned, Cleveland has represented this conference in the NBA Finals for the last three years. When it is added that this team features the most recognized player in the game on their roster in Lebron James, the Cavaliers are likely to enforce premiums on any of their takers period. When you toss in the fact they are going against one of the lowliest teams in the East, that propensity is that much greater. Nevertheless, we had seen New York in similar positions before where they were taking back inflated point spreads and nevertheless they have been quite profitable. We will once again take advantage here.
KEITHs PICK: New York +12.5 at 5Dimes to get the best line on this game and guys if you don’t have an account here, now is the time to save money all season long in NBA and MLB!