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Monday evening on the NBA Hardwood and the Atlantic Division will square off with the Central Division as the New York Knicks invade Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio to rumble with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks enter this game off a 104-99 home loss to the Raptors, while the Cavaliers are off a 105-90 loss to the Pacers on the road.
The Number Is Now At 16
The New York Knicks are in the midst of a horrible season that sees them currently at 10-45 overall. As bad as their overall record has been, the Knicks have been even worse of late as they enter this game having lost their last 16 games in a row. The Knicks are saddled with the worst record in the league and you could see them tank a lot of games down the stretch to give themselves a good shot at the number one pick in the draft.
The Knicks enter this game off a 104-99 home os to Toronto. YThat was not really a bad loss as they were 13.5 dogs in the contest. The offense has struggled this year and they shot just 41.0% from the field overall, but they knicks also shot 40.0% (10/25) from long range to help them stay in the game. The defense has been a mess this year, but the Knicks held Toronto to just 38.4% shooting overall. The Raptors did hit 40% (14/35) of their shots from long range and that may have been the difference in the game. Leading their attack was Kevin Knox (12.6 ppg), who had 20 points, while Kadeem Allen (7.0 ppg) had 14.
Close game with @23savage____ & @AllenKadeem serving up career-highs.
(@MajorEnergy) pic.twitter.com/GvzCIRSTMm— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 10, 2019
The Knicks have not been a good offensive team this year as they come in ranked 25th in the league in scoring, putting up 105.2 ppg, while also ranking 30th in shooting (43.0%), 28th in 3-point shooting (33.7%) and 17th in free throw shooting (76.4%). At the defensive end of the court, they have been poor as they have allowed 114.3 ppg, which is 25th in the league, while also ranking 25th in defensive FG% (47.3%) and 21st in 3-point defense (36.1%).
Cavs Fall To Pacers On The Road
The Cleveland Cavaliers have also had a bad season as they come in at 11-45 on the year, including a 6-21 mark here at home. They could also be tanking down the stretch, which was would make this a very interesting game as neither team may want to win it. The Cavaliers have lost their last four games in a row, which is not as long as the losing skid the Knicks are on, but still, it is a losing streak.
The Cavs are off a 105-90 road loss to the Pacers and they have now averaged just 97.5 ppg over their last four games. The Cavs did not have a horrible shooting night as they hit 44.3% of their shots from the field overall, including 44.4% (16/36) of their shots from long range. Still, they lost the game by 15. Leading their attack was Jordan Clarkson (16.8 ppg), who had 18, while Collin Sexton (14.8 ppg) and Larry Nance Jr. (9.0 ppg) each had 16. The defense has not played well this year and they did allow the Pacers to knock down just 34.6% (9/26) of their shots from long range, but they also allowed them to connect on 53.6% of their shots from the field overall. They have a shot at a good defensive showing in this one as the Knicks are struggling to score.
Fastbreakin' @quese#CavsPacers is on FSO & the FOX Sports app: https://t.co/68bWpMhVoN#BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/sfV4q1OS31
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) February 10, 2019
The Cavaliers have been poor on offense so far as they come in ranked 29th in the league in scoring, putting up 102.2 ppg, while also ranking 28th in shooting (44.1%), 14th in 3-point shooting (35.3%) and 10th in free throw shooting (78.6%). At the defensive end of the court, they have been rather poor as they have allowed 113.1 ppg, which is 23rd in the league, while also ranking 30th in defensive FG% (49.3%) and 29th in 3-point defense (37.2%).
Notable Trends
Cleveland is:
- 4-1 ATS in their last 5 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
- 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400
New York is:
- 6-15 ATS in their last 21 vs. the Eastern Conference
- 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record
The Bottom Line What to bet on this game.
Full-Game Side Bet
Someone has to win this one, right? Well, I will go with the team that has not lost their last 16 games in a row. The Cavs are 6-21 at home, but the Knicks are 6-22 on the road and New York is 3-7 ATS the last 10 games in this series. The Knicks have allowed 116.2 ppg on the road, while the Cavaliers have allowed 112.1 ppg at home. I feel that the defense of the Cavs will be the difference in this one. The Knicks’ losing streak continues.
Prediction: Cleveland -1.5
Full-Game Total Pick
The defenses have struggled for both teams, but these are also two of the worst offenses in the league. The Knicks have averaged just 105.5 ppg on the road, while the Cavaliers have averaged just 102.7 ppg at home. We also note that the Knicks have averaged just 95.4 ppg over their last five, while the Cavaliers have allowed 101.2 ppg over the same stretch. The Under is 13-3 in New York’s last 16 games playing on one day’s rest and 6-1 in Cleveland’s last seven games following an ATS loss, plus 6-1-1 the last eight games between these teams here in Cleveland.
Prediction: Under 209.5