Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Prediction, 4/21/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks

Date: Friday, April 21, 2023

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (+2)

The New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on Friday in Game 3 of their series. The series is tied 1-1. Cleveland opens this game as 2-point underdogs. The total is set at 211.5.

The Cavaliers earned the victory with a final of 107-90 in Game 2. Cleveland walked away from the contest having earned a 49.4% field goal percentage (38 out of 77) and made 14 of their 33 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Cavaliers converted 17 of 21 shots for a percentage of 81.0%. In terms of rebounding, they collected a total of 43 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 26 assists for this game while forcing 17 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Concerning defending, Cleveland allowed the other team to shoot 36.7% from the floor on 29 of 79 shooting. New York totaled 16 assists and had 14 steals for this game. In addition, New York had 36 rebounds (13 offensive, 23 defensive) and got 7 blocks. New York finished 83.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 25 of 30 tries. They also knocked down 7 out of their 29 shots from distance. When discussing personal fouls, the Cavaliers ended up finishing with 22 while the Knicks accumulated 18 personal fouls.

Darius Garland is one player who was a factor for this contest. Garland finished 47.1% from the floor and also dished out 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 36 minutes and totaled 3 rebounds. He racked up 32 points on 8 out of 17 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Picks Tonight

Cleveland comes into this contest with a win-loss record of 51-31 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.3 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 19.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Cleveland is pulling in 41.1 boards per contest and has accounted for 2,045 dimes this year, which ranks 19th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Cavaliers are connecting on 36.7% on 3-point shots (950 of 2,589) and 78.0% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 112.3 points per outing (25th in the league) on 48.8% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Cavaliers are able to force 15.7 turnovers every game while drawing 20.4 personal fouls. They rank 1st in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,888 conceded on the campaign. The Cavaliers defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.8% (3,201 of 6,847) and they surrender 41.2 boards per game as a unit. They are conceding 36.8% on 3-pointers and they rank 1st in the NBA in PPG allowed (106.9).

In Game 2 the Knicks recorded 23 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 in the matchup. They gave up possession 17 times, while earning 14 steals in this contest. The Cavaliers committed 22 personal fouls for the contest which got the Knicks to the charity stripe for 30 attempts. They were able to knock down 25 of the free throw tries for a clip of 83.3%. In regard to three-point shots, New York converted 7 of their 29 attempts (24.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Knicks finished shooting 29 for 79 from the field which gave them a rate of 36.7%. The Knicks allowed the Cavaliers to bury 38 out of 77 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.4% in this contest. They shot 42.4% from three-point range by connecting on 14 out of 33 and finished the game at 17 of 21 from the charity stripe (81.0%). When talking about cleaning the glass, New York permitted Cleveland to pull down 43 in total (11 on the offensive side).

Julius Randle pitched in for the Knicks for the game. Randle tallied 22 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this game. He converted 8 out of 20 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and accounted for 8 rebounds.

New York has a win-loss mark of 47-35 for the campaign. The Knicks have committed 20.3 personal fouls per game and they hit 76.1% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 22.9 times per game (28th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 13.0 times per contest. New York has accounted for 9,514 points on the season (116.0 per contest) and they grab 46.6 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Knicks are hitting on 47.0% from the field, which is ranked 20th in the NBA.

The New York defense gives up 35.7% on shots from 3-point land (1,068 of 2,992) and opponents are knocking down 78.2% of their free throw shots. They give up 25.1 dimes and 42.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 13th and 7th in the league. The Knicks defensively are ranked 13th in basketball in points allowed per contest with 113.1. They are forcing their opponents into 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.2% from the floor (3rd in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New York (-2)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here