Cavaliers vs. Knicks Game 2: Prediction & Player Props

After suffering a massive meltdown on Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers return to Madison Square Garden for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Final against the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The Cavaliers, making their first Conference Finals appearance in eight years, were rolling in the series opener on Tuesday, leading the Knicks by 22 with 7:52 to play and quieting the raucous home crowd in the process.

New York immediately went on an 18-1 run and proceeded to outscore Cleveland 44-11 the rest of the way to record a 115-104 overtime victory.

Jalen Brunson led the way with 38 points, six assists and five rebounds, Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points and 13 rebounds, Mikal Bridges added 18 points and OG Anunoby returned from a two-game layoff to score 13 points.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 29 points and six steals, followed by Evan Mobley with 15 points and 14 rebounds, Jarrett Allen with 10 points and seven rebounds, and Sam Merrill with 12 points off the bench.

James Harden had 15 points, but went just one for eight from three-point range and had more turnovers (6) than field goals (5).

The Knicks, making their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance, have now won eight straight since trailing the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in their first-round series.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks betting picks and predictions

New York Knicks -6.5 (-105)

The Knicks are 6.5-point favorites with a -240 moneyline, while the Cavaliers are +195. New York has gone 7-1 against the spread during its eight-game winning streak and has won 12 of 14 at the Garden.

Cleveland is 4-2 straight up and against the spread in its last six games. The Cavaliers are 6-2 ATS against New York, even counting Tuesday’s collapse, but they are just 2-7 against the spread in their last nine road games.

New York started very slowly in Game 1, showing the rust accumulated in a nine-day layoff after sweeping the 76ers. They went four for 23 from long range in the first three quarters, but everything finally clicked midway through the fourth.

The Cavs did lose the first two games in Detroit before winning four of the next five, including two road triumphs, so they will not be panicking regarding that result.

This is less about Cleveland’s response and all about the Knicks continuing to build momentum. They are 5-1 at the Garden this postseason, winning four straight by an average of 21.3 points. 

Cleveland may still make this a series, but they will need to battle out of another 2-0 hole to do so. Look for New York to win and cover the 6.5-point spread. 

Over 216 points (-110)

The Cavaliers have played to the over in five of six, while New York has done the same thing in five of seven.

Now that the Knicks are back in form, look for them to run all night, with Cleveland attempting to match them stride for stride.

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks odds

Cleveland Cavaliers	+195
New York Knicks	-240
Spread	NY Knicks -6.5
Total Points	O/U 216

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks player props

Donovan Mitchell (CLE Cavaliers)	O/U 27.5
James Harden (CLE Cavaliers)	O/U 17.5
Evan Mobley (CLE Cavaliers)	O/U 15.5
Jalen Brunson (NY Knicks)	O/U 27.5
Karl-Anthony Towns (NY Knicks)	O/U 17.5
OG Anunoby (NY Knicks)	O/U 14.5

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks Team News

Cleveland Cavaliers

Mitchell was seen limping noticeably late in Game 1, but he is healthy and cleared for this match. The Cavs have no other injury concerns.

New York Knicks

The Knicks have their full roster available for Game 2.

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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.