New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 12/29/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH

TV: Fox Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: New York (+4.5)

The Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0) play the New York Knicks (1-2) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Tuesday. Cleveland opens this game as 4.5-point favorites. The over/under has been set at 219.5.

The New York Knicks stepped onto the hardwood against the Milwaukee Bucks and earned the victory with a final of 130-110 in their last game. New York finished having earned a 54.1% FG percentage (46 of 85) and knocked down 16 out of their 27 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Knicks knocked down 22 of 27 shots for a percentage of 81.5%. In terms of rebounding, they compiled 46 with 8 of them being offensive. They also recorded 27 assists for the game in addition to getting 5 steals and 4 blocks. In reference to defending, New York allowed 43.2% from the floor on 41 out of 95 shooting. Milwaukee doled out 24 dimes and had 7 steals for this game. In addition, the Bucks collected 44 boards (17 offensive, 27 defensive) and had 5 rejections. Milwaukee finished 72.4% when shooting free throws by burying 21 of 29 shots. They also made 7 out of their 38 attempts from distance.

RJ Barrett is one player who played a role for this contest. He accounted for 17 points on 7 of 17 shooting. He was on the court for 38:15 mins and also grabbed 8 boards. Barrett ended up shooting 41.2% from the field and dished out 4 assists. Someone else that was a major contributor in the matchup for the Knicks was Julius Randle. He grabbed 14 boards and tallied 7 assists. He went 47.1% from the floor for the game by hitting 8-of-17 (29 points). Overall, Randle saw the court for 37:07 min.

New York will play this contest with a record of 1-2 this season. They lose possession via turnover 16.0 times per game and as a group are committing 24.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, New York is pulling down 43.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 71 dimes on the year, which ranks 8th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Knicks are hitting 42.9% on shots from distance (36 of 84) and 76.7% from the free throw line. They average 108.7 points per contest (23rd in basketball) while going 46.2% from the floor. Defensively, the Knicks are forcing 12.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 21.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 18th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 72 surrendered for the season. The Knicks defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 46.2% (36 of 64) and they concede 47.0 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are giving up 25.2% on three-point shots while they are 16th in the league in points per game allowed (113.3).

When they last played, the Cleveland Cavaliers took home the win by a final score of 118-94 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavaliers pulled down 34 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 45 in this game. They also turned away 6 tries while getting 13 steals for the matchup. The 76ers committed 19 personal fouls in this contest which got the Cavaliers to the charity stripe for a total of 16 shots. They were able to bury 13 of those for a clip of 81.3%. In regard to shots from beyond the arc, Cleveland made 9 out of their 23 tries (39.1%). Overall, the Cavaliers ended up going 48 out of 91 from the floor which had them shooting 52.7%. The Cavaliers permitted the 76ers to make 33 of 79 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.8% in the game. They shot 32.4% from distance by connecting on 12 out of 37 and walked away from this one shooting 16 out of 22 from the free throw line (72.7%). In reference to rebounding, Cleveland allowed Philadelphia to grab 39 overall (8 offensive).

Larry Nance ended up being important for the Cavaliers in the game. He buried 5 of 6 in the game for a rate of 83.3%, which gave him 13 points. Nance totaled 4 rebounds in his 35:22 minutes of time on the hardwood and had 5 assists for this contest. Someone else that was pivotal for Cleveland was Collin Sexton. He ended up finishing with 22 points in his 29:20 mins on the hardwood via 8 out of 15 shooting in this matchup. Sexton ended the game having shot 53.3% from the floor and also collecting 3 assists and 3 total rebounds.

Cleveland has a record of 3-0 this year. Cleveland has tallied 367 points on the year (122.3 per game) and they pull down 48.7 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are committing 22.7 personal fouls every game while shooting 71.2% from the free throw line. In terms of offensive execution, the Cavaliers are hitting on 51.3% from the field, which ranks 3rd in basketball. They are earning an assist 31.3 times per game (1st in basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 18.7 times per contest. The Cavaliers on the defensive side of the court are 12th in the league in points given up per game with 109.0. They have relinquished 25.7 dimes and 42.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 18th and 9th in the league. The Cleveland defense concedes 34.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter (44 of 126) and their opponents are connecting on 68.1% of their foul shots. They are able to force 20.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 44.2% from the field (7th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take New York (+4.5)

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