The Knicks held Cleveland to 97 points in a 109–97 road win Saturday. Four days later, the teams meet again at Madison Square Garden, where the first thing to watch is how quickly Donovan Mitchell and James Harden can get the ball to a teammate when New York sends help.
What Cleveland needs from its guards
Mitchell and Harden each scored 11 in Monday’s 124–112 loss at Charlotte. The Hornets made 23 threes and led by as many as 33 before Cleveland’s reserves cut the gap to eight in the fourth. Against New York, watch what happens if Mitchell or Harden draws a second defender. Getting the ball to Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen inside before the defense recovers could give Cleveland a look at the rim or open up a pass to a shooter.
New York was favored by 4.5 in the DraftKings snapshot. Cleveland scored 119 against Philadelphia the night before the first Knicks game, so the 97 stands out in its recent results. Our team grades put Cleveland’s offense and New York’s defense at A-minus. The quick turnaround could matter for the Knicks, though no New York starter played more than 28 minutes in Tuesday’s 117–85 win over Milwaukee. If Cleveland gets clean looks early in possessions, the Knicks may need more from their own offense to create separation.
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Where the total can swing
Saturday’s meeting finished at 206 combined, and Tuesday’s Knicks win finished at 202. Both were below Wednesday’s DraftKings total of 221.5. Eight of New York’s 10 games this season have gone under their own posted totals, but the Knicks scored 135 against Chicago last week and the game reached 240 even with the Bulls scoring 105. How often Cleveland’s guards create a good shot before the clock runs down will matter for both markets. If those chances are scarce again, it may take a big scoring night from New York to get past 221.5.
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