The Cleveland Cavaliers will have one more “tuneup” game before heading to the playoffs when they play the New York Knicks at home this Wednesday. The Knicks, meanwhile, will head to an early vacation, which is obviously something this struggling franchise needs.
The Knicks will finish their 2017-18 campaign on the road this Wednesday – at Quicken Loans Arena to be exact, where they are a miserable 5-5 SU in their last 10 games there. They’ve been better against the spread over that stretch, though, as they have gone 7-3 ATS in those games. Overall on the road, the Knicks aren’t better of late. New York is only 2-8-SU and 5-6 ATS in its last 10 contests away from Madison Square Garden. That includes the Knicks’ 118-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Philly on Mar. 28, their last road game before Wednesday’s showdown with the Cavs. The Knicks are averaging 101.9 points on 45.6 percent shooting from the field in road games this season. Having said all of that, the Knicks defeated Cleveland IN Cleveland way back in November,114-95, with Tim Hardaway leading the team with 34 points.
The Cavs want to win one last game at home this regular season before plunging into the playoffs battle. LeBron James and company have dropped a game in their last eight at Quicken Loans Arena. In their last outing there, the Cavs came from behind to net a 119-115 victory over the Washington Wizards on Apr. 5. They are likely to extend that win streak, considering how mediocre the Knicks have been this season plus the fact that New York has struggled to win games in Cleveland over its past few visits there. The Cavs are 4-1 SU in their last five home games against the Knicks, though they have only beaten the spread in two of those outings. The Cavaliers should be able to score plenty against the Knicks’ defense that ranks just 19th in the NBA with 108.0 points allowed per game. Conversely, Cleveland is fifth in the league with 110.9 points per game. The Cavs do better offensively when they’re at home with a 111.8 points average at Quicken Loans Arena this season.
