Knicks vs Cavaliers Odds and Picks

• The Cleveland Cavaliers look for their seventh win in eight starts as they host the New York Knicks
• New York will be playing the second of a back-to-back after beating the Clippers Sunday
• Find the odds, betting analysis, and prediction below

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.

They’re 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: here’s your chance to place a bet, as mobile and online betting are now available in the Empire State.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Odds

Odds as of January 24th at BetMGM

Despite being on a back-to-back, the public are heavily betting the Knicks. Over 50% of the handle and 68% of the bets are on New York to cover as a road dog – as you can see in the NBA betting trends.

Cavaliers Recent Results

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.

Another 20-point double-double (23/11) for Darius Garland!

He's averaging 21 PTS & 12.3 AST over his last 7 games. The @Cavs have won 6 of those 7. pic.twitter.com/KW2zVw3Mxh

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 23, 2022

Darius Garland led the way, scoring 23 points and dishing 11 assists, the fourth time in five games he’s 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.

Beast on the boards 💪

Last night @evanmobley racked up a career-high 1️⃣7️⃣ rebounds … the most by a Cavs rookie since Big Z in 1998.#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/B2FTQbBysz

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 23, 2022

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.

Knicks Seek Back-to-Back Wins

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.

RJ Barrett and Julius Randle combined for 52 PTS in the @nyknicks home win! #NewYorkForever@RjBarrett6: 28 PTS, 14 REB, 6 AST@J30_RANDLE: 24 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST pic.twitter.com/Y7FT9ChioZ

— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2022

With the Knicks playing consecutive nights, it’s 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 it’s their offensive attack that may be worrisome. The Knicks score at a 104.1 clip, the fourth-worst rate in the league.

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

Julius Randle on the Knicks finishing their homestand with a win:

"Ended it right, can't look back, and now we're looking forward to this road trip" pic.twitter.com/hZJVrayXmo

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 23, 2022

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.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Prediction

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 Cleveland’s 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.

Evan Mobley in the Cavs win vs the Knicks

26 Points
11/15 Shooting
9 Rebounds
5 Assists
2 Threes
1 Block
1 Steal
1 Turnoverpic.twitter.com/YBQJwaorxU

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 8, 2021

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. They’re tied for the second-best ATS record as a home team at 14-7-1.

New York’s 23-24 record is identical to their ATS mark, but surprisingly, they’ve 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)