Cavaliers vs Knicks Picks and Predictions: Randle, Fournier Can Hurt Cavs

The New York Knicks had won four games in a row before losing to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, but they’ll look to get back in the win column when they host a struggling Cleveland Cavaliers team on Saturday. 

Will New York get back on track at Madison Square Garden? You’ll want to keep reading our Cavaliers vs. Knicks NBA picks and predictions for Saturday, April 2 

Cavaliers vs Knicks odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Cleveland was a 2-point favorite when this line became available for bettors, and the team is now laying only 1.5 on some sportsbooks. The total, which opened at 215, can be found anywhere between 214.5 and 216. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Cavaliers vs Knicks predictions

• Prediction: Knicks +2 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 214.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Fournier Over 14.5 Points (-104)

Predictions made on 4/2/2022 at 1:10 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Cavaliers vs Knicks game info

• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Date: Saturday, April 2, 2022
• Tip-off: 1:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports, MSG

Cavaliers vs Knicks betting preview

Key injuries

Cavaliers: Rajon Rondo G (Questionable), Dean Wade F (Questionable), Evan Mobley C (Out), Jarrett Allen C (Out), Collin Sexton G (Out).
Knicks: Quentin Grimes G (Questionable), Nerlens Noel C (Questionable), Cameron Reddish F (Out), Derrick Rose G (Out), Kemba Walker G (Out), Solomon Hill F (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Knicks are 9-3 against the spread in their last 12 games as underdogs. Find more NBA betting trends for Cavaliers vs. Knicks.

Cavaliers vs Knicks picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

The Cavaliers have lost five of their last six games and they’re 0-7 against the spread in their last seven. Cleveland has been missing Jarrett Allen for nearly a month now, but the team is also without Evan Mobley for the next couple of games. Those two big men made up the foundation of this Cavaliers team, and they are completely without an identity right now. Sure, Darius Garland’s an All-Star, and Caris LeVert, Lauri Markkanen, and Kevin Love are all good players, but this was a defensive-minded team before the twin towers went down. 

Without Allen and Mobley, this team is struggling to get key stops, which is why the Cavs have allowed 125.5 points per game over their last two contests. This squad is also fifth in the league in defensive rating on the season, but it’s down at 24th in the NBA over the last six games. Cleveland will continue to slide as long as the two rim protectors are out, and a struggling defense isn’t what you want against the Knicks. 

New York is just 24th in the NBA in offensive rating this season, but the team is capable of turning in an efficient performance against a defense that lacks structure at the moment. The Knicks are also 13th in the NBA in defensive rating, so they should be able to do a decent job of slowing down the shorthanded Cavaliers. 

Keep an eye on Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley for the Knicks in this game. Randle should really be able to turn in a big offensive performance with Allen and Mobley out, as Cleveland won’t have many players that can deal with his strength around the basket.

Also, the Cavaliers don't have a good defensive backcourt, so this should be a game where Quickley is able to get some good shots off. The young guard should also get the crowd into this game with his exciting brand of basketball, and that will only make things tougher on a Cavaliers team that has lost its way. 

Prediction: Knicks +2 (-110 at bet365) 

Over/Under analysis

The Over is 7-0-1 in the last eight games that Cleveland has played on the road, and it’s 8-2 in the team’s last 10 games overall. That just goes to show you how poorly the Cavaliers are playing on the defensive end right now, as their games were predominantly going Under the spread until the middle of January.

The Over is also 8-3 in the last 11 Knicks games, and it’s 8-3 in their last 11 home games. These two have just been putting up points lately, and there isn’t much reason that should change here. 

It also doesn’t hurt that the total for this game is extremely low, as these teams do play at slow paces. However, that shouldn’t matter as much with the way Cleveland is playing defense right now, as New York should be capable of scoring at least 110 in this one. That would make it very unlikely that the Under would hit. 

Prediction: Over 214.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Best bet

As mentioned earlier, the Cavaliers don’t have a great defensive backcourt, and the team is struggling on the defensive end in general. With that, some of New York’s guards are going to get some opportunities to score some points in this game, and there’s no reason it can’t be Evan Fournier. The Frenchman is coming off a game in which he had 30 points against the Hornets, and he normally tends to play well or struggle in bunches. Look for him to have yet another solid scoring performance in this one, as he should feel good after hitting six threes last game. 

Fournier also happened to score 15 points the last time these teams met at Madison Square Garden, which was back on November 7. That was back when Ricky Rubio, Allen and Mobley were still healthy, so that was Cleveland at its best defensively. Look for him to score at least 15 once again here. 

Pick: Evan Fournier Over 14.5 Points (-104 at FanDuel) 

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