The best team in the Eastern Conference has been established quite firmly at this point in the season, but the team that falls next in line is still up for question.
Two of the teams with a claim for No. 2 will meet in Cleveland on Tuesday night when the Cavaliers host the Knicks on Peacock.
One game separates the third-place Knicks and fourth-place Cavaliers, and the outcome of Tuesday’s games could be crucial for keeping the orange and blue in contention for a top-two spot in the conference.
Oddsmakers at DraftKings have installed the Cavs as 4.5-point favorites, with the market split down the middle on each side of the spread.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers prediction, best bet
Since the Cavaliers traded for former MVP James Harden, there has been much more talk about a championship ceiling in Believeland.
At their lowest, the Cavaliers had fallen to 17-16 after losing back-to-back games to the Knicks and Rockets in late December.
Since that point, they have the best record in the NBA with a 19-6 record over their last 25 games.
With Harden on the team, the Cavaliers were 5-0 before running into a wall in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
The Thunder humbled the Cavs without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams on the floor, leading by as much as 23 points in the first half.
The result of one game isn’t enough to draw big picture conclusions, especially in a league where teams are often playing shorthanded.
However, the Cavaliers have been building up their record by beating bad teams, especially in the five games with Harden, with blowout wins against the Kings, Wizards and Nets sprinkled in with two close wins over the Nuggets and Hornets.
The Knicks have been up and down all season, which is also concerning, but they’ve shown up to play against everyone outside of the Pistons.
They are as enigmatic as any team in the NBA, but seem to bounce back well after being embarrassed.
I don’t think these two teams are as far apart as the spread suggests.
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We haven’t seen enough of this version of the Cavaliers to trust that they are actually good enough to beat the top teams in the league and Sunday’s loss is a good example.
The Knicks have matched up well against the Cavaliers this season as well. They beat them in the season opener, then walked them down on Christmas Day with a thrilling comeback win.
Adding Harden may be good for the Cavaliers on offense, but their defense will still break down at the point of attack and will be scrambling to get out to shooters.
If the Knicks are able to hit their 3s, they will give the Cavs a run for their money on their home floor. I like the Knicks to cover here.
The Pick: Knicks +4.5 (-118, DraftKings)
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.