NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Date: Friday 21st February 2025 Start time: 7:00 pm local time (Midnight BST) Venue: TD Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio Last meeting: October 28th 2024, Cleveland Cavaliers 110-104 New York Knicks On Friday night, the New York Knicks travel to the number one seed in the East to face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell//Getty Images
On Friday night, the New York Knicks travel to the number one seed in the East to face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams are in stunning form and are placed inside the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference. Not only is this matchup likely to be one of the best games of the season, but it features two organizations playing high-level basketball week in and week out.
Ahead of what will be a very exciting battle, SportsBoom depicts this blockbuster matchup because of their seeding and respective records in the East as of late. We will share our valued bets and prediction, but we will also investigate valuable players representing both franchises and their head-to-head records.
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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
Cleveland Cavaliers: 10/11 (1.91) - 52.36%
New York Knicks: 11/10 (2.10) - 47.62%
Forecast odds – Betting available on Stake closer to event
Head-to-Head Record
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks will meet for the 228th time in the regular season. Both teams have faced off, spanning multiple decades, providing many exciting games over the years. This Eastern Conference matchup sees the New York Knicks have a slight advantage overall, winning 121 times compared to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 106.
In the recent five games, the Knicks have a marginal record, winning three of the last five games. In previous years, however, both franchises took turns to win four games in a row from the last seven years.
If you’re looking to bet on this exciting match, check out our guide to online sports betting for expert insights and top sportsbooks.
Last Five Matches
| Season | Date | Result |
| 2024/25 Season | October 28, 2024 | Cleveland Cavaliers 110-104 New York Knicks |
| 2023/24 Season | March 3, 2024 | New York Knicks 107-98 Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2023/24 Season | November 1, 2024 | Cleveland Cavaliers 95-89 New York Knicks |
| 2023/24 Season | October 31, 2024 | New York Knicks 109-91 Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2022/23 Season | March 31, 2023 | New York Knicks 130-116 Cleveland Cavaliers |
How is the season so far for both teams?
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Record: 44-10
- Home Form: 25-4
- Road Form: 19-6
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and have impressive records both home and away, losing four and six games, respectively. The Cavaliers are 5.5 games ahead of the rest and are in impressive form, recording eight wins from ten games at the time of writing this preview.
The Cavaliers have three different players as their roster’s stat leaders in points, rebounds, and assists. This showcases their threat in all areas, indicating that one player doesn’t have to complete multiple roles throughout the games played. The organization’s leading scorer is Donovan Mitchell, who is posting 23.9 points per game. In addition, he is averaging 4.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. His game has regressed in previous years, but that reflects the roster’s pool of talent.
Darius Garland is producing the goods this season as the 25-year-old almost matches his career-best points per game. 21.6 points per game places him second in the roster with the highest scoring averages, but he is posting the highest number of assists in the team, averaging 6.7 per game. This stat line of 6.7 assists is worse than previous seasons, but his offensive threat sees the point guard as an indispensable member of the team.
New York Knicks
- Record: 36-18
- Home Form: 19-10
- Road Form: 17-8
Despite showing impressive form these last few weeks, the New York Knicks still find themselves two games behind the Celtics. The organization are enjoying a positive spell and having a good season, and like their opponents, they have only lost in single digits away from home. The Knicks will be motivated to seek revenge after their blowout loss at the start of the month.
The Knicks’ starting guard, Karl-Anthony Towns, is producing impressive numbers, averaging 24.7 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. He is showcasing his best stuff defensively, which is especially impressive given it is his first year playing for the New York organization. Towns are placed 13th in the NBA for points per game, whereas he is second overall in the league in rebounds.
Jalen Brunson is the organization’s leading shooter and has only missed one game this season. In only his third year with the team, he has regressed slightly in points. But that hasn’t looked like an issue, considering he has improved his all-around offensive game. He is averaging 7.5 assists this season, which is his best stat line in that department in his entire career.
Value Bets
Donovan Mitchell, Over 20 Points and Over 5 Assists: Donovan Mitchell always elevates his game against the New York Knicks. Across the 17 games he has played, he has averaged an impressive 24.9 points and 5.5 assists. SportsBoom predicts Mitchell to compile over 20 points and over 5 assists, but what’s impressive is that he has posted over 20 points against the Knicks since joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Over 15 Points and Over 10 Rebounds: Karl-Anthony Towns has posted a double-double against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his last two games, once for the Knicks and once for his previous team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns has a career average of over 21.8 points and 9.3 rebounds, but we predict him to reel off another double-double in this matchup.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers to win
SportsBoom predicts the Cleveland Cavaliers will get the job done. The depth of talent within the roster is showcased by their impressive record. While they may have an inferior recent and historical head-to-head record against their opponents, the Cavaliers won in a two-possession game earlier this season. We predict a similar result for this game.
Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.
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