Tuesday night is another busy one for NBA fans, with 18 teams in action.
Two of the top games to watch include Knicks vs. Cavaliers and Pistons vs. Thunder in an ESPN doubleheader starting at 7 p.m. ET.
In the former, Cleveland is heavily favored as it closes on in the top seed and homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
With seven games remaining for both the Cavs (60-15) and Celtics (56-19), Cleveland is in the driver's seat for the 1-seed. Still, there's "pressure" on Donovan Mitchell and Co. to clinch homecourt ASAP to maximize the opportunity to give key players rest over a potentially meaningless final week of the regular season.
New York (48-27) is too far behind Boston to move up to the 3-seed in the East, but needs to finish strong to prevent Indiana (44-31) from overtaking it in third place. The Knicks have managed to stay afloat since Jalen Brunson suffered a sprained ankle in early March, going 8-5 without him.
Brunson's eyeing a return in time for the playoffs, but he won't be in action tonight.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers Odds: Spread, ML, Total
DK FD bet365
NYK spread +10.5 (-115) +10.5 (-112) +10 (-110)
CLE spread -10.5 (-105) -10.5 (-108) -10 (-110)
NYK ML +380 +370 +390
CLE ML -500 -480 -525
Total 230.5 (o-108; u-112) 230.5 (o-110; u-110) 230.5 (o-110; u-110)
How to Watch Knicks vs. Cavaliers
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Best Knicks vs. Cavaliers Player Prop
OG Anunoby 3+ Made Threes (+104 at FanDuel) -- 1 unit
Every healthy player on the Knicks roster has had to step up in Brunson's absence. Few players for coach Tom Thibodeau have responded better than OG Anunoby, though.
He's scored at least 20 points in 10 of 13 games without Brunson, including 25 or more in six of New York's last seven games.
On the season, the former Raptor is averaging 13.7 FGA. Throughout the recent stretch without Brunson, that number has jumped to over 16 FGA per game. He's also maintained his impressive 3-point shooting on the season (36.6 percent) on nearly 7 3PA per game over the last month.
With at least three made triples in seven of New York's last 13 games, Anunoby is good value to clear this prop tonight, even though he's only 2-for-7 from outside vs. Cleveland on the year (two games).
Keep in mind that Brunson took a total of 41 shots in those games, so there's a good chance Anunoby will get 15-20 attempts tonight as long as the Knicks keep this game competitive.
In addition to Anunoby's made threes prop, he's also tempting at +235 to score 25 points (FanDuel). He's reached this number in five straight games, with an average of 29.8 ppg in his last five.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers Pick, Best Bets
We're at the point in the NBA calendar when the teams that are healthy are going to win big just about every night, especially if they have a lot to play for.
The Cavs, whose top players are all healthy, appear to check both those boxes right now.
The Knicks, on the other hand, list Karl-Anthony Towns, Miles McBride and Cameron Payne as game-time decisions, with Brunson's absence confirmed.
It's never a lock to take a favorite to roll by a sizable spread like this one, but I'm comfortable banking on Cleveland to cover this number at home.
I feel even better about the Cavs winning big given that they've been off since Sunday's win over the Clippers, while the Knicks are entering the second night of a back-to-back after taking down the Sixers last night.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers Best Bet
Cavaliers -10 (-110 at bet365) -- 1 unit
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This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 2:36 PM.