The Knicks’ last game before the All-Star break was a 116-105 defeat to Oklahoma City. Carmelo Anthony led the team in scoring, with 30, while Derrick Rose’s 25 points tied a season-high. Their good play was wasted by the team’s unsurprisingly poor defense (25th in points allowed and defensive efficiency), as no one couldn’t stop Russell Westbrook from recording another triple-double (38 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists). With the loss, the Knicks have dropped 24 of their last 33 games.
Despite Anthony (23.4 PPG) and Rose (17.7 PPG, 4.5 APG) both being clearly out of their primes, they are still two of the most gifted and experienced scorers on the team, and there is a good chance that one of them might be traded before tomorrow’s trade deadline. If any of those two veterans gets shipped, it should leave Kristaps Porzingis (18.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.0 BPG) with a much larger role on offense on defense.
The Knicks are 0-3 (SU and ATS) against the Cavaliers this season, and they are losing by an average of 22.6 points. Additionally, they are 1-12 (5-8 ATS) in their last 13 games versus a LeBron James-led team (Cleveland and Miami).
After an ugly start to 2017, where they only went 7-8 in the month of January, the Cavaliers were able to recover, as they won nine of their last 11 games before the All-Star break (8-3 ATS). In that 11-game stretch, the defending champs are putting up 118.1 points and 14.1 threes per game, while also shooting 50.7 percent from the floor.
The resurgence had the Cavs returning to the top three spots in scoring (111.3 PPG on the season) and offensive efficiency rankings.
LeBron James, of course, is leading the way. The four-time MVP is posting insane, video game-like numbers during that span – 26.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 10.3 assists on 61.4 percent shooting. His number one running partner, Kyrie Irving, is right there with him, contributing 24.7 points and 7.0 assists.
As mentioned, the Cavs are a perfect 3-0 against the Knicks this season. James shot above 60 percent in all of those games and dished 10 or more assists in two of them. Irving, meanwhile, leads everyone in the season series in points (28.5) and threes (four) per game.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cavs (-10.5) sweep the season series, 115-105.
