New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction (February 24th, 2026)
The NBA is back in full force on Tuesday night, and one of the best games of the evening goes down in Cleveland. DraftKings has the Cavaliers favored by 4.5 points as they play host to the New York Knicks, giving fans and bettors a tense Eastern Conference clash.
Detroit is still the class of the conference, but both New York and Cleveland might have something to say about that before the regular season is over.
Cleveland comes into this matchup on fire, having won eight of their last 10. They’ll look to defend a solid 19-11 home record, while a win here could vault them past the Knicks and into the three seed. New York has been just as good (7-3) over their last 10 games, and can push for the two-seed with a big road win.
So, which side deserves your money? I’ll break it all down, dissecting the latest pricing, matchup angles, and best bets en route to a final Knicks vs. Cavaliers prediction.
Game Details
- Matchup: New York Knicks (37-21) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-22)
- Date & Time: Tuesday, February 24th, at 6:30 pm (7:30 pm ET)
- Venue: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH
- How to Watch: MSG Network and Peacock
Early Season Performance & Trends
New York Knicks
The Knicks have been one of the better teams in the NBA all year. They got to the Eastern Conference Finals last year and then parlayed that success into winning the NBA Cup this season.
New York still has offensive lapses, but they’re one of the deepest and more balanced teams in the entire league. Mike Brown leads a Knicks crew that is in the running to win the Atlantic Division and is just six games back in the race for the top seed in the conference.
Jalen Brunson headlines a capable offense, while the Knicks tend to play at a slower and more methodical pace, while also focusing on sound defense.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs had the best record in the Eastern Conference last year, but fell flat in the NBA playoffs. Afraid of a similar fate, Cleveland swung for the fences at the NBA trade deadline, shipping often-injured guard Darius Garland to L.A. for a veteran presence in James Harden.
Harden is notorious for shrinking in the playoffs, but perhaps he will rectify that this year. For the moment, the Cavs have an elite guard tandem with him and Donovan Mitchell, while Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are a formidable pairing down low.
Cleveland has been just as good as the Knicks, but they’ve especially been hot ever since acquiring Harden. It remains to be seen if this new-look team is legit, or if they will run out of steam when the games really matter.
Bettors need to take Cleveland seriously, however, as they’re at home and are in fantastic form.
Head‑to‑Head / Historical Context
The Knicks and Cavs have a rich history, as they’ve met on the hardwood 232 times during the regular season. New York won the previous two meetings this year, making this third game quite important for Cleveland.
The most recent game was explosive and very close, with the Knicks prevailing by two in a wild 126-124 shootout on December 25th. New York won the previous meeting by eight.
This comes after a dominant showing in the series the year prior, when the Cavs swept the season series (4-0). Their defense was remarkably stingy in this matchup, and Cleveland will hope to offer a similar result on their home floor on Tuesday night.
Key Matchup Breakdown
The Knicks run their offense through Jalen Brunson, who is fantastic in isolation, as he can torch defenses from long range, penetrate the paint, and create offense for his teammates.
Most possessions end with Brunson working his magic, as he puts up 26.8 points and 6.1 assists per game. He’s not alone in the scoring department, as big man Karl-Anthony Towns pours in 20 points per game and is also dominant on the glass.
New York is quite deep, with five other players capable of chipping in 10+ points per game, as needed. Collectively, this group ranks 8th in scoring, 10th in assists, 13th in transition, and 3rd from deep.
The Knicks aren’t very imposing on the interior, and they struggle to get to the free-throw line, but they are a dangerous perimeter offense that is highly efficient.
The Cavs are a different team now than they were just a couple of weeks ago, and that’s for the better. On the year they rank 3rd in scoring, 8th in assists, 11th in interior scoring, and 7th in three-point makes per game.
Cleveland got a boost with the arrival of Harden, who can score 20 or dish out 10 assists on any given night. Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (28.6 ppg) is still the lifeblood of this offense, but Harden’s presence frees him up to pick his spots a bit more naturally.
Evan Mobley (17.6 ppg) is an offensive force when healthy, while center Jarrett Allen is a walking double-double threat inside the paint.
Role players like Sam Merrill, Dennis Schroder, and Jaylon Tyson give the Cavs extra bodies that can all score on their own and knock down open shots from outside.
Cleveland is a strong inside/outside offense, as they can punish you inside with their bigs, while they have two elite shot creators and a plethora of shooters that can burn you if the defense lets up.
The Knicks come into this matchup with a strong overall defense, ranking 7th in scoring and 10th in efficiency. New York is very good down low, as they rank 9th in rebounding and 4th in points allowed per game in the paint.
New York is not easy to score on inside, and they have several quality on-ball defenders. They allow the opposition to let it fly from long range; however, as they give up 38.5 three-pointers per game and don’t guard it as well as they should.
The Cavs are not as good defensively on the year, but they’ve looked better lately. Still, they rank 15th and scoring and 12th in efficiency on that end of the floor. Their interior defense is fantastic, but they have struggled in transition (25th), and they are one of the worst teams in the NBA at defending the three.
In terms of pace, Cleveland is definitely the faster team. Harden and Mitchell help this team rank 8th in pace, while the Knicks are a lot slower (24th).
- Cavaliers perimeter offense vs. Knicks perimeter defense: The Knicks want you to shoot the three ball, but I’m not sure why. They don’t guard it well, and they give up a ton of open looks from deep. That’s music to the ears of the Cavs, who shoot it from long range at will and convert a solid 35.9% of them (15th).
- Knicks perimeter offense vs. Cavaliers perimeter defense: Both teams are strong inside defensively, so the Knicks will also be glad to see that Cleveland’s outside defense is pretty suspect. New York is an even better outside shooting team than the Cavs, so there’s a decent chance they keep pace with Cleveland in this one.
- Rebounding Battle: Cleveland and New York both crack the top-10 in rebounding. With Evan Mobley expected to be on hand for this one, the cleaning of the glass in this matchup feels like a wash. The team that can gain even a fraction of an edge could have the upper hand, however.
New York has been passable against the spread, going 30-28 overall this year. They are just 4-5 ATS as road underdogs and 20-19 inside the Eastern Conference, however.
Cleveland has not been nearly as good (24-34) against the spread. They are strong at home overall, but have gone just 11-19 ATS on their home floor and 17-29 ATS as the favorite.
In reference to the game total, the Over is just 29-30 for the Knicks this year, while it is just 28-30 for the Cavs.
Betting Odds & Market Interpretation
Check out the latest New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers odds at DraftKings:
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
Knicks | +4.5 (-118) | +142 | Over 232.5 (-110) |
Cavaliers | -4.5 (-102) | -170 | Under 232.5 (-110) |
The Knicks opened as 3.5-point road dogs, and the line moved slightly. That just means the Cavs are getting more action, and sure enough, 64% of the bets at DraftKings are backing them on the ML.
The moneyline also jumped a bit, but the Cavs make sense as the favorites across the board. They are tough to beat at home, they’re at full strength, and they come into this game on fire.
The game total was a palatable 228.5 to start. It’s moved a good amount and now comes in at 232.5. That could be argued as a bit high considering New York’s pace of play and their ability to defend.
From a Bettor’s Lens
There is value on both sides of this matchup. Cleveland feels trappy ATS, but their -170 ML is good enough to target. New York is an absurd value ATS and on the moneyline. That is a very nice price to bet on them straight up, while they simply have been the far better team against the spread on the season.
The over/under spiked, so betting on the Over isn’t as enticing now. Given the line movement, I’d be hammering the Under.
Situational Considerations
The Knicks and Cavs have all of their important players on hand for this game. Depth pieces like Miles McBride and Max Strus continue to miss time for both sides, but their absences don’t sway how we’re betting on this game.
This game is in Cleveland, where the Cavs are 19-11 on the year. New York isn’t nearly as good on the road (14-13).
Both teams are well rested, as they last played on February 22nd.
Best Bets & Confidence Levels
| Bet | Rationale | Confidence Level |
|---|---|---|
Knicks ATS +4.5 (-118) | New York has some things working against them getting a tough road win, but they still tend to compete, and they have loads of depth. This is a solid matchup for them, so keeping it close is a strong bet. | 7/10 |
Cavaliers ML (-170) | The Cavs are terrible ATS, but they’re good at home, and the Knicks stink on the road. I don’t want to bet against this rendition of Cleveland at the moment, and the -170 ML is plenty fine. | 7/10 |
Under 232.5 (-110) | Cleveland can push the pace, but the Knicks play slower and can be tough defensively. With the total jumping by four points, I am hammering the Under with confidence. | 7/10 |
As betting lines tighten for Knicks vs. Cavaliers, sharp money is eyeing the Under after the total spike. at our top sports betting sites.
Final Score Prediction & Closing Thoughts
Final Score Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers 112, New York Knicks 110
The Cavaliers are going to win this game. They have looked fantastic with James Harden in town, and they are 8-2 over their last 10 games. They’re also very good on their home floor, and this matchup plays to their strengths.
New York also won the first two meetings already and the most recent game was extremely close. Given the battle for seeding between these two, the Cavs cannot afford to drop this game and hand the season series to the Knicks.
If you want one Knicks vs. Cavaliers prediction, it’s that Cleveland will win. That isn’t the play that offers the most bang for your buck, of course, so I’d also target the Knicks ATS and hammer the Under.
Over half of the games for both of these teams tend to hit the Under, while the Knicks are way more reliable against the spread. I like Cleveland to get the win to keep the seeding race tight, but this should be a very hard-fought game.
