Knicks vs Cavaliers Picks, Predictions, Odds & Props on Sunday, March 3

• The struggling and injury-plagued New York Knicks visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon
• Cleveland is tied with Milwaukee for the #2 seed in the East while the Knicks are clinging to the #4 seed
• See the New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers predictions, player props, and odds on March 3

A top-four battle in the Eastern Conference headlines the NBA’s Sunday slate as the New York Knicks (35-25, 15-14 away, 30-28-2 ATS) visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-20, 20-10 home, 29-28-2 ATS) at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse at 7:10 pm ET.

Still missing three key contributors, the shorthanded and slumping Knicks head into Sunday night as 6.5-point underdogs.

New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Odds

In addition to being 6.5-point home favorites, the Cavs are also -250 on the moneyline. The game total is at just 213.5, by far the lowest total on the board in in Sunday’s NBA odds.

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The Cavaliers remain the #2 seed in the East portion of the NBA playoff bracket at the moment, but by the slimmest of margins. Cleveland (39-20) and Milwaukee (49-21) are both eight games back of #1 Boston, but the Cavs have a slightly better win percentage,

New York is the #4 seed but, thanks to a 2-7 record in the past nine, are just 1.5 games ahead of #8 Indiana with Philadelphia, Miami, and Orlando in between.

Knicks Lose Back-to-Back Home Games

New York comes into Sunday playing its worst basketball of the season. They have lost seven of nine and two straight after suffering lopsided home defeats to New Orleans (115-92) and Golden State (110-99).

With Julius Randle (24.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 5.0 APG), OG Anunoby (15.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG), and Mitchell Robinson (6.2 PPG, 10.3 RPG) all sidelined, Jalen Brunson (27.7 PPG, 6.7 APG) is being asked to shoulder an immense burden, especially at the offensive end. Brunson led the team with 27 points against Golden State last time out, but was just 11-of-25 from the field and only got to the free-throw line once.

New York’s recent ATS results are even worse than their straight-up record. The Knicks lost four in a row against the number and covered just one game in their last 11 (a 110-96 win over Philadelphia as 1.5-point road underdogs). Their O-Rating has dropped to tenth in the league (117.3) after flirting with the top five for much of the first half of the season.

Cavaliers Just 3-3 Since All-Star Break

Cleveland hasn’t been as cold as New York, but they have looked a little sluggish since returning from the All-Star Break. The Cavs are 3-3 in that span with two of their wins coming against 9-51 Washington (114-105) and 9-50 Detroit (110-100).

The Cavs are not at full health, either, but their situation isn’t nearly as dire as the Knicks’. Caris LeVert (14.1 PPG, 4.7 APG) is listed as questionable for today’s game with an elbow injury while leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (28.0 PPG, 6.2 APG, 5.4 RPG) is also questionable with a knee issue.

Mitchell didn’t play in the win over the Pistons last time out. Darius Garland picked up the scoring slack with 29 points on 9-of-21 shooting. But it was Cleveland’s domination on the glass that proved the difference. Evan Mobley finished with a game-high 17 rebounds while Jarrett Allen added 15 as the Cavs finished with a 53-42 edge on the boards.

With Mobley and Allen anchoring the defense, the Cavs have posted the second-best D-Rating in the NBA so far this season (110.5), trailing only Minnesota (108.0).

Sunday’s game is the third and final meeting of the season between New York and Cleveland. The teams split a home-and-home in the first week of the season, with each winning on the other’s court.

CLE vs NYK Player Props

NBA player props from DraftKings on Feb. 29. 

As is often the case when a star’s status is in question, Mitchell is the only Cavs player on the board currently. His presence or absence will dictate the roles his teammates play at the offensive end of the floor. If he doesn’t play, wagers on his performance totals will be voided/refunded.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Prediction

The Cavs were able to give Mitchell the night off against Detroit but I fully expect him to be in the lineup tonight, and Cleveland is 32-15 straight-up when Mitchell plays this year.

The Knicks have proved time and again over the past few weeks that they simply don’t have the horsepower to contend with good teams at the moment. That will (likely) change if and when their injuries woes subside, but Randle, Anunoby, and Robinson are all still sidelined today.

Expect a fifth straight ATS loss for the languishing Kicks tonight.

NYK vs CLE pick: Cavaliers -6.5 (-110)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

• 17-21 moneyline (+4.06 units)
• 16-13-2 ATS (+2.68 units)
• 7-12 player props (-6.82 units)
• 0-3 same-game parlay (-3.00 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise