Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks 12/18/20: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2020-12-18 19:30:00 EDT
The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks meet Friday in NBA preseason action at the Madison Square Garden.
The Cleveland Cavaliers look for a win to finish the preseason with a 3-1 record. The Cleveland Cavaliers are averaging 105.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting and allowing 103.3 points on 44.5 percent shooting. Cedi Osman is averaging 23 points and five rebounds while Dante Exum is averaging 15 points and five assists. Darius Garland is the third double-digit scorer and Isaac Okoro is grabbing 1.7 rebounds. The Cleveland Cavaliers are shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and 73.6 percent from the free thitem line. The Cleveland Cavaliers are allowing 33.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 48 rebounds per game.
The New York Knicks also look for a win to finish the preseason with a 3-1 record. The New York Knicks are averaging 93.7 points on 43.6 percent shooting and allowing 92 points on 38.2 percent shooting. RJ Barrett is averaging 18.7 points and five rebounds while Julius Randle is averaging 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. Alec Burks is the third double-digit scorer and Kevin Knox II is grabbing 3.3 rebounds. The New York Knicks are shooting 23.3 percent from beyond the arc and 63.6 percent from the free thitem line. The New York Knicks are allowing 35 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 46.7 rebounds per game.
The Cavaliers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Cavaliers are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings in New York. The over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Both of these teams have been impressive in the preseason and put together multiple wins in the underdog role. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been far and away more impressive on the offensive side and are shooting a high percentage from everywhere on the floor. Small sample size for both, but I’d take the free bucket with the Cavs if forced to pick this game.
