Madison Square Garden will be rocking this Saturday, as the New York Knicks take their turn as the home team in this series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The series is tied at 1-1. Who’ll get that 2-1 lead?
Catch this game live on Saturday, April 22, at 8:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Darius Garland
- SG: Donovan Mitchell
- SF: Isaac Okoro
- PF: Evan Mobley
- C: Jarrett Allen
The Cavaliers snatched back momentum in this series with a towering 107-90 win in Game 2. That was an important win for Cleveland for a number of reasons. For one, being down 2-0 in the series heading into a road game is never going to be an ideal scenario for any team. Without needing Donovan Mitchell to turn in an unreal performance, the Cavs solved the Knicks last Wednesday, thanks in large part to Darius Garland exploding for 32 points.
Caris LeVert also provided 24 points off the bench, while Mitchell got 17. Mitchell loves playing when the lights are brighter, so he can’t definitely be counted out from going off in Game 3 in the Big Apple. But more than that, the Cavs will look to thwart New York’s defense with their passing. In Game 2 the Cavs generated 38 field goals on 26 assists while limiting the Knicks to just 29 buckets on only 16 dimes.
The Cavs are 4-1-1 against the spread in their last six road games.
Home: New York Knicks (1-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Jalen Brunson
- SG: Quentin Grimes
- SF: RJ Barrett
- PF: Julius Randle
- C: Mitchell Robinson
The Knicks didn’t know what hit them in the first half of Game 2, as they spent nearly the entire contest trying to claw their way back from a huge deficit. A stronger start from New York can be expected this Saturday, considering that it’s going to be playing in front of a wild, pro-Knicks basketball Madison Square Garden crowd. Just the atmosphere in Gotham alone can ruin game plans of visiting teams.
The Knicks surely hope that that would be the case in Game 3, but as far as the tangibles go, they are going to need Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson to get back to their top forms after shooting just 8/20 and 5/17, respectively, in Game 2. Perhaps just as important, if not more necessary, for the Knicks in Game 3 is winning the rebounding battle just like they usually do when up against the Cavs. In four games against Cleveland in the regular season, the Knicks averaged 47.3 rebounds to just 39.0 by the Cavs. In Game 2, the Cavs flipped the script and outrebounded New York, 43-36.
The Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against Cleveland.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Knicks (-2) cover the spread.
Over/Under: The total (211.5) hits the Under.
