NBA Picks 3/3 – New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA Picks 3/3 – New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The New York Knicks (35-25) visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-20) tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on ESPN. Cleveland is a 6-point favorite and the total is 212.5. This is the third and final meeting between these teams. Cleveland and New York split the first two matchups with the road team winning each game. The first two games were played on back-to-back nights on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. New York has dominated the series of late winning eight of the last ten, including eliminating Cleveland 4-1 in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

New York is coming off a 110-99 loss to Golden State on Thursday night, it was their second straight loss and third loss in four games. Cleveland won at Detroit 110-100 on Friday night as Darius Garland hit eight 3-pointers and scored 29 points, while Evan Mobley had 22 points and 17 rebounds. Cleveland has won three of their last four games.

GAME STORYLINES: NEW YORK

For about a 20 year period starting in the early 2000’s, the New York Knicks franchise had constantly made bad personnel decisions which led to a mediocre product on the court. Everything changed in July 2022 when the Knicks signed Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract. Initially, the moved was deemed to be a typical bad decision by the Knicks as Brunson had spent his first four NBA seasons being one of the underlings to superstar Luka Doncic. Brunson did average career-highs in scoring (16.3), assists (4.8) and rebounds (3.9) during his last season with Dallas during the 2021-22 season. A foretelling sign of Brunson’s potential was when he averaged 21.6 ppg in 18 playoff games when Dallas made it all the way to the 2022 Western Conference Finals. 

As a Knick, Jalen Brunson picked up where he left off in the 2022 NBA playoffs as he’s elevated his game to superstar status. He increased his scoring average by almost 8 points from 16.3 ppg to 24.0 ppg in his first season with New York, he added 6.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from long distance in 68 games. Brunson has been even better this season, averaging 27.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from long distance. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season. Brunson has topped 20 points in 19 straight games dating back to Jan. 11 and is averaging 31.7 points, 7.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds over that span as he’s had to carry a bigger load due to injuries to three Knick starters.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, injuries have somewhat derailed what looked to be a championship contending season. All-Star forward Julius Randle (24.0 ppg, 9.2 rebs, 5 asts) has been out since Jan. 27 with a dislocated right shoulder. He’s attempting to avoid surgery which could keep him out for the rest of season and possibly the postseason. Newly acquired forward OG Annuoby suffered an elbow injury in the same Jan. 27 game in which Randle was injured, he’s expected to be out for the next several weeks. The athletic 26-year-old forward Annuoby was acquired by the Knicks via trade on Dec. 30. He averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.1 blocks on 51.6 percent shooting from the floor across 14 games with the Knicks. Oft-injured center Mitchell Robinson (6.2 pts, 10.8 rebs, 1.5 stls, 1.3 blks) has been out since Dec. 8 with an ankle injury, it’s likely that he won’t return this season. The Knicks were playing their best ball of the season when Randle and Annouoby went down, and they’ve been struggling for the most part ever since going.

Shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo (14 ppg, 3.4 rebs, 1.2 stls, 44.9% from 2, 41% from 3), swingman Josh Hart (8.6 pts, 7.4 rebs, 3.4 asts) and center Isaiah Hartenstein (6.9 ppg, 8.5 rebs, 1.1 blks, 1.1 stls, 61.2% from 2) have been reliable and consistent performers for the Knicks with all the injuries and trade defections that have occurred this season. DiVincenzo’s 14 ppg is a career best, he’s really stepped up his game of late for the injury-depleted Knicks. DiVencenzo is averaging 21.7 ppg game in the month of February and has knocked down at least 4 three-pointers in 11 of his last 13 games. DiVincenzo, Hart and Brunson were all teammates (2015-2017) for some dominant Villanova teams under Jay Wright.

GAME STORYLINES: CLEVELAND

When future Hall of Famer LeBron James bolted the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise for a second time following the 2017-18 season, everyone expected the franchise would suffer through a long stretch of dreadful seasons as it did when LeBron left following the 2009-10 season. Cleveland posted records of 19-63, 19-46, and 22-50 in the three seasons post-LeBron James. It appeared as if the franchise was heading towards a long stretch of futility. 

During those three seasons after LeBron departed (2019-2021), Cleveland made a series of shrewd moves that included drafting Darius Garland fifth overall in the 2019 NBA draft, trading for center Jarrett Allen in Jan. 2021 and then drafting Evan Mobley with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. All three players starred on the surprising 2021-22 team that finished 44-38 and qualified for the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. That season ended in disappointment after 2 straight losses to Brooklyn and Atlanta in the play-in round prevented them from advancing to the actual playoffs.

The unexpected success of the 2021-22 Cavs team likely led to one of the most impactful decisions in franchise history when the Cavs acquired three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz on Sept. 1, 2022. Mitchell may not have accepted a trade to Cleveland if they had a losing team. Mitchell has exceeded expectations during his time in Cleveland as he averaged career-highs of 28.3 ppg and 48.4 percent shooting from the floor in his first season with the team, along with 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He led the Cavs to a 51-31 record, which was their most wins since the 2016-17 season when the LeBron-led Cavs teams won 52 games and advanced to the NBA Finals. 

Donovan Mitchell has been just as good again this season, averaging 28 points, 6.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor across 48 games. Mitchell was named an All-Star for the sixth time this season. Cleveland is now tied for second in the Eastern Conference and are on pace for their most wins since the 57-win 2016 World Champion Cavs team. 

The aforementioned trio of Darius Garland (18.4 ppg, 6.1 asts, 1.3 stls, 45.7% from 2), Evan Mobley (16 ppg, 10.3 rebs, 1.6 blks, 58.4% from 2) and Jarrett Allen (15.7 ppg, 10.5 rebs, 1.1 blks, 63.4% from 2 in 54 contests) continue to play excellent ball alongside Mitchell. Garland (broken jaw) and Mobley (knee) missed significant time in December and January with injuries but both have been back since the beginning of February and are rounding back into peak form. The 25-year-old Allen has been outstanding all season, he picked up the some of the scoring slack when Garland and Mobley were out with injuries.  

THE PICK: Cavs (-6)

All the injuries have been too much for the Knicks to overcome of late, I think they’ll get pummeled tonight in Cleveland, Lay the Points and take the Cavs!