LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will play their last road game of the regular season this Monday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Will the Cavs bounce back from a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and take down the Knicks? Or will the Knicks be just another Atlantic division team who will hurt Cleveland’s chances of getting a No. 3 seed in the East?
LeBron James put on a show the last time the Cavs faced the Knicks. That was way back on Nov. 13, when The King had a near triple-double of 23 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds in a 104-101 win in Manhattan. Over the past several days, it has come down to either a triple-double for James or a near trip-dub for the four-time MVP. That’s just how dominant James has been this season, and up against a rotting New York squad could spell yet another fantastic stat line for James. The Cavs are looking to bounce back from a 132-130 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday in which LeBron that reduced Cleveland’s chances of netting a No. 3 seed in the playoffs, though they still have a shot at it. In other words, the Cavs have every reason to take the New York game seriously. Against the Sixers, James had a 40-point triple-double of 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
The Cavs are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games at Madison Square Garden.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: the Knicks lost their last game. Not really a surprising news anymore. The Knicks suffered a 115-102 loss at the hands of may or may not be playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks at home on Saturday. At this point of the season, the Knicks’ focus is more on playing and developing their young guys. Against the Bucks, though, it was veteran guard Jarrett Jack, who shined the most, as he scored 18 points and dished out seven dimes in a losing effort. Unlike in the previous two meetings with the Cavs this season, the Knicks won’t have Kristaps Porzingis this time around, as the unicorn is recovering from an ACL injury. Enes Kanter is also questionable with a back issue, and if he’ll miss yet another game, the Knicks will rely more on their backcourt once again. Tim Hardaway Jr. is a good bet to step up for the Knicks. He had 34 points when New York beat Cleveland on Oct. 29 on the road, 114-95. He had 28 in the next date with the Cavs.
The Knicks are 2-0 ATS in their last two games against Cleveland overall.
