Knicks vs Cavaliers Odds and Picks – Sports Betting Dime

Jan 22, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (right) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mamadi Diakite (left) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a breakthrough season. Their opponent Monday night, the New York Knicks, know the feeling all too well that was them a year ago.

Fast forward a year, and the Knicks are fighting for their play-in lives, where they currently sit in 11th. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are sitting above the fray in fifth in the East and rolling, having won six of their last seven.

Theyre a big 7.5-point favorite in this one, which tips off at 7pm ET at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and can be seen live on NBA League Pass.

New Yorkers: heres your chance to place a bet, as mobile and online betting are now available in the Empire State.

Odds as of January 23rd at BetMGM

After their six-game losing streak was snapped at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland got right back to winning Saturday night, putting the Oklahoma City Thunder in a vice in a 94-87 win.

Darius Garland led the way, scoring 23 points and dishing 11 assists, the fourth time in five games hes led the team in scoring. Books have noticed, as Garland ranks third in 2022 NBA Most Improved Player odds.

Big man Evan Mobley, the current betting favorite in the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year odds, chipped in with 15 points and 17 rebounds. His twin-tower counterpart, Jarrett Allen also doubled-up, scoring 13 points and adding 14 boards.

Cleveland, ranked third in defensive rating in the NBA, held the Thunder to 38.8% shooting from the field, including a paltry 12-for-41 behind the arc, just a 29.3% clip.

They will be a little short-handed coming into this one, however, as forward Lauri Markkanen is out with an ankle injury, while the recently-acquired Rajon Rondo (hamstring) will be a game-time decision.

New York put an end to a three-game skid with a 110-102 win over the LA Clippers on Sunday.

RJ Barrett led the way with 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while Julius Randle added 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

With the Knicks playing consecutive nights, its important to note both New York stars played 40+ minutes, and fatigue may play a factor Monday night.

New York does pretty well on the defensive end, holding teams to 104.5 points per game, good for 5th-best in the NBA, but its their offensive attack that may be worrisome. The Knicks score at a 104.1 clip, the fourth-worst rate in the league.

Theyll be going against a Cavaliers defense that has the second-best scoring defense, limiting teams to 102.5 points per night.

Another key battle will be in the paint, where the Knicks allow the second-fewest points, but where Cleveland scores at a top-10 rate, averaging a shade under 48 points per game.

Just like Cleveland, they may be down some key pieces, with big man Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and guard Kemba Walker (knee) game-time decisions for Monday.

This will be the second of three meetings between these teams on the year, with the Cavs thumping the Knicks 126-109 at MSG on November 7.

Hard to glean too much from that contest, as Clevelands leading scorer was Ricky Rubio (37 points), who is done for the year with a knee injury, as is Collin Sexton, who started at guard.

Mobley did have 26 points and nine boards, while Allen had 18 points and 17 boards. They held New York to 9-for-31 shooting from three.

Cleveland owns the best record against the spread in the NBA at 29-15-3, a sharp 65.9% cover rate. Theyre tied for the second-best ATS record as a home team at 14-7-1.

New Yorks 23-24 record is identical to their ATS mark, but surprisingly, theyve been a good bet in back-to-backs, sporting a 4-2 mark ATS when playing on zero days rest.

While Cleveland should win that spread is a little high. I think defense reigns supreme, with two of the top scoring defenses going head-to-head.

The pick: Under 207.5 points (-110)

NFL NBA Sports Writer & Editor

Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.

NFL NBA

Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.

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Knicks vs Cavaliers Odds and Picks - Sports Betting Dime