NBA Playoffs Picks 4/21 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks

NBA Playoffs Picks 4/21- Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks

by Thomas Quaynor – NBA analysts for Wannamakeabet.com

The 4-seed Cleveland Cavaliers visit the 5-seed New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first round matchup tonight on ABC. The series is tied at 1-1. New York held off Cleveland 101-97 in Game 1 and Cleveland dominated New York 107-90 in Game 2. New York is a 1.5-point favorite and the total is 211. New York won 3 of the 4 regular season meetings against Cleveland, including both games at home. These franchises have met three times in the postseason with New York winning all three, a 2-0 sweep in 1978, a 3-1 win in 1995 and a 3-0 sweep in 1996. 

SERIES RECAP & GAME STORYLINES

After opening up a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, New York was able to hold off Cleveland 101-97 in Game 1 behind some clutch baskets from Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson with under a minute left in the game. Brunson finished with a team-high 27 points in his first playoff game as a New York Knick, Hart finished with 17 points on 8-11 shooting and 10 rebounds off the bench. Julius Randle also recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell finished with a game-high 38 points in the loss. Game 1 was the first home playoff game for Cleveland since the 2018 NBA Finals. 

Cleveland flipped the script in Game 2 by opening up a 20-point halftime lead and increasing the lead to 29 in the fourth quarter. Darius Garland led the way finishing with a game-high 32 points and 7 assists. Second-year forward Evan Mobley put up 13 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks and Donovan Mitchell had 17 points, 13 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Cleveland’s win on Tuesday was the first time the franchise won a playoff game without LeBron James since April 27, 1998. 

Both teams are examples of how the right personnel decision in the offseason can completely change the fortunes of your franchise. Last September, Cleveland gave up three unprotected first round picks as part of a trade package for three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, and he’s exceeded expectations by averaging a career-high 28.3 points per game during the regular season and leading his team to a 51-win season. Mitchell is averaging 27.5 points, 10.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1 block in this series. 

The Knicks signed Jalen Brunson as a free agent in the offseason and he’s also put up a career-highs in scoring (24.0) and assists (6.2), and is averaging 23.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3 steals in this series. The Knicks 47-35 regular season record was a 10-game improvement over last season and their most wins since the 2012-2013 season when they finished 54-28. 

THE PICK

The Knicks got the split they needed in Cleveland and I think they take care of business tonight, Lay the 1.5 with the Knicks!!