Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks: Picks, Predictions and Odds

The Cleveland Cavaliers' bench was strong in the narrow road defeat against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night and can give the New York Knicks a good run in their matchup on Friday.

Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus all sat out for that game since the team has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks, meanwhile, are only one game ahead of the Pacers in third in the East, so they'll be looking to preserve that with a win.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks betting picks and predictions

Cleveland Cavaliers +7.0 (-110)

The No. 1 seed Cleveland (63-17) rested four of its starters at Eastern Conference rivals Indiana on Thursday and almost produced a win despite being shorthanded.

Minus Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Strus, the Cavs were narrowly beaten 114-112 by a Pacers' team that's working hard for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

It was an impressive effort from Kenny Atkinson's backups and a useful exercise going into next week's playoffs.

Atkinson will sit starters once again at Madison Square Garden - how many is up for debate - seemingly happy to rest his stars rather then fret over momentum going into the postseason.

And clearly that plays into the hands of New York (50-30) who will want to fend off the fast-finishing Pacers for the No. 3 seed in the East.

Jalen Brunson is healthy again, though that doesn't necessarily mean Tom Thibodeau will want one of his two most important offensive players to endure too much court time ahead of next week's playoffs.

The Knicks are also coming off a two-game losing run, going down 119-117 at home to the rival Boston Celtics before a more concerning 115-106 setback against the Detroit Pistons. That's three losses in their last five.

Brunson rolled his ankle in the loss to the Pistons, returning to score 15 points.

OG Anunoby and Josh Hart were also absent in Detroit, though the demands of a back-to-back schedule may mean they were just being saved for part two tonight against Cleveland.

Cleveland are 7.0-point underdogs and clearly Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, if suited up, would have a field day against an Evan Mobley-less Cavs.

But beware the Cleveland role players and backups. Thirteen-year vet Tristan Thompson, for example, had a game-high 12 rebounds at Indiana while De'Andre Hunter weighed in with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals.

They were a missed mid-range effort from forcing overtime in Indianapolis, showing the type of resistance that augurs well for them covering the spread in the Big Apple.

Cleveland Over 109.5 Points (-115)

The short-handed Cavaliers racked up 112 points in defeat at Indiana on Thursday night and can go Over 109.5 in New York against the Knicks.

These teams have met three times this season and Cleveland have won each time, posting 110, 142 and 124 points in those three games.

Obviously this time it will be different with coach Kenny Atkinson sitting out a number of his big-name stars, so inevitably the potential for points dwindles accordingly.

But against the Pacers, others stepped up. Guard Ty Jerome scored 24 points, the 10th game in a row in which he has reached double figures, De-Andre Hunter weighed in with 23, and Craig Porter Jr. had 16.

As a team, they shot 45.9 percent from three-point range and maintained the offensive skillsets that have been the mark of their campaign.

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks odds

Cleveland Cavaliers	+220 ML
New York Knicks	-270 ML
Spread	NY Knicks -7.0
Total Points	O/U 226.5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.