Knicks vs. Cavaliers Prediction and Odds: ECF Contenders Clash

The New York Knicks (37-18) are hitting the road Friday to face the Cleveland Cavaliers (45-10) in a potential Eastern Conference Playoffs preview between two of the top teams in the league.

The Knicks took down the Chicago Bulls 113-111 in overtime last night despite missing OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson. They’re 17-8 on the road and lost their only matchup against the Cavs in their third game of the season, 110-104.

Cleveland beat the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday behind 26 points from Donovan Mitchell. They’re 25-4 in their building and won nine of their last 10 games.

Here, we will preview the matchup and share our favorite Knicks vs. Cavaliers betting picks for Friday’s action.

Knicks vs. Cavaliers Betting Odds for Friday, February 21

The Knicks are 27-27-1 (50 percent) against the spread, 13-12 (52 percent) ATS on the road, and 2-4 (33.3 percent) ATS as an underdog.

The Cavs are 36-19 (65.5 percent) ATS, 19-10 (65.5 percent) ATS at home, and 33-18 (64.7 percent) ATS as a favorite.

Knicks vs. Cavaliers Prediction

New York Knicks Preview

Robinson will remain out for the Knicks, while Hart (knee) and Anunoby (foot) are both questionable.

Friday’s contest provides a bit of a free hit for the Knicks. They can’t be expected to win a seven-game series against the best team in the conference without two of their best players, but they still have two MVP candidates, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, and a strong supporting cast to potentially cause an upset on the road.

The story of the Knicks’ season is their beautiful offense. They maintain elite spacing, knock down 37.4 percent of their threes (seventh), get to the free throw line, cut from the weak side, and move the ball to where it needs to go.

NY maintained the third-best offensive rating (119.5) in the sport but is only 17th in defensive rating (113.7), which is highly uncharacteristic for a Tom Thibodeau-coached team. Their +5.9 point differential per 100 possessions ranks sixth in the league, although their +2.5 mark since the start of 2025 is only 11th.

Interestingly, the Knicks are sixth in the league in net rating excluding garbage time against teams with top 10 point differentials. However, they still only managed a mark of -2.4, while the Cavaliers are third at +5.9.

The Knicks are down to 11th in rebound rate since the turn of the year and will need extra effort from their supporting players if Hart remains out. 

Looking at last night’s result, the Knicks held the Bulls to 39.8 percent shooting from the field but allowed them to go 19-48 (39.6 percent) from three. That lines up with their modus operandi as they allowed teams to make 37.9 percent of their long-range attempts (last). 

Controlling the three-point line—or at least giving a better effort on the perimeter—is going to be crucial against one of the league’s best sharpshooting squads.

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Cleveland Cavaliers Preview

The Cavs had the best record in the NBA for nearly the entire season and enter tonight’s matchup in familiar blazing form.

Cleveland leads the league in offensive rating (121.6) and is eighth in defensive rating (111.2), giving them a net rating of +10.5 that is second only to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

What makes the Cavs intriguing from a philosophical standpoint is that they are more of a conceptual than a scheme-heavy team. For example, they prioritize their pace and ball movement more than they do running set plays or actions.

While the Knicks are 23rd in pace, the Cavs are all the way up in seventh. This pace allows them to create and exploit mismatches in transition though not in the prototypical fashion. 

Cleveland is only 19th in fastbreak points per game. What it does a great job of is getting downhill while defenses are on their heels, swinging the ball across the court, and spotting mismatches because of their enormous frontcourt.

All of those are reasons why the Cavaliers lead the league in both three- (39.1) and two-point percentage (58.4).

Like the Knicks, they aren’t stellar at defending the perimeter, but they at least ranked 19th at 36.1 percent allowed on three-point attempts.

The Cavs did not allow a 20-point scorer in their win over the Nets last night. They have more bodies to use on the second night of a back-to-back, although both teams rank in the top six in bench net rating.

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Knicks vs. Cavaliers Betting Pick

• Knicks vs. Cavaliers pick: Cavaliers -8.5 (-110) at BetMGM 

The Knicks have shown tremendous offensive upside but are still working to fix their defense, especially on the perimeter, nearly two-thirds of the way into the season.

The Cavs have been the most consistent team in the conference and are 25-4 at home. They’ll be fresher because of their depth but are going to need to be comfortable leaving their big men on an island against elite individual scorers.

The Cavs are rightfully favored, and NY’s recent decline in performance combined with them having to play overtime leads us to believe that the home team will win and cover on Friday.

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How to Watch Knicks vs. Cavaliers on 2/21/25

• When: Friday, February 21 @ 7:00 p.m. ET

• Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

• TV: ESPN

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