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Knicks vs. Cavs Game Four Analysis and Prediction

Matthew Wadleigh, Contributor
Knicks vs. Cavs Game Four Analysis and Prediction
Knicks vs. Cavs Game Four Analysis and Prediction. AP Photo/Nick Cammett.

Knicks vs. Cavs Game Four Analysis and Prediction

KNICKS VS. CAVS GAME FOUR ANALYSIS -  The Eastern Conference Playoffs have been up and down. Through the first week of games, perhaps the most interesting series is the 4-5 matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. 

The Knicks took Game 1 before the Cavs responded with a Game 2 victory. However, Game 3 was ugly and reminded everybody of 1990s basketball with a final score of 99-79 with the Knicks winning at Madison Square Garden. 

With that being said, let’s recap Game 3 and preview Game 4 which will be on Sunday. 

The Odds

Matchup

Open

Spread

Points

Moneyline

Cavaliers

(1-2 SU)

+3

+2.5

o205

+116

Knicks

(2-1 SU)

u207.5

-2.5

u205

-140

 

Tipoff

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York 

When: Sunday, April 23, 2023, 1:00 PM ET 

TV: ABC 

Public Bets: Knicks, 57%

Public Money: Knicks, 67%

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of April 23rd, 2023

Game 3 Review 

The offensive outburst was nowhere to be found for either team. The Cavs’ trip to Madison Square Garden was forgettable for everybody not named Evan Mobley – Mobley had 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

Donovan Mitchell’s stats look good on the surface: He had 22 points and 7 rebounds on 9-19. However, he shot just 2-8 from three-point land and had six turnovers. Caris LeVert moved to the starting lineup and went 7-17 for 17 points but he shot just 3-11 from downtown. The Cavs as a team shot a porous 21 percent from three-point range and 38 percent total with a 58 percent clip from the free-throw line. 

Darius Garland was the hero in Game 2, but Game 3 he was a forgettable 4-21 from the field. The Cleveland bench scored 14 points with half of those coming in mop-up duty. 

The Knicks saw Jalen Brunson lead the way again with 21 points on 10-18 from the field and RJ Barrett added 19 on 8-12 shooting. 

But, Julius Randle scored just 11 points on 3-15 and 2-10 from downtown in a struggle offensively for him. 

Neither team scored more than 28 points in any individual quarter, and the score at the half was 45-32. 

Game 4 Glimpse 

Game 3 was reminiscent of the early 2000s and earlier, but it was not fun for many to watch and hopefully, the bettors took the under. Game 4 should be much different for both teams, although neither team has scored more than 110 in any game during the series, and that continues all the way until the end of this round. 

The Cavs scoring 79 points was shocking, and the Knicks scoring 99 with Randle struggling was also surprising. The odds for Game 4 lean toward the Knicks, but they get favored for this one due to being the home team. Cleveland can’t afford to go down 3-1 in this series, and they come out and respond big time on Sunday afternoon in a primetime matchup. 

Matt's Picks

Cavs +2.5 

Under 206.5

Author

The Picks 

Over/Under 

This series has been a terrible showing offensively. Game 3 was bad for all accounts, but it won't be nearly as bad in Game 4 and the rest of the way. The over/under sits at 206.5, which is such a low number that it might be difficult to roll with the under. 

On the other hand, neither game has gone above the 200-point threshold, and who's to say Game 4 does? I’ll continue to go with the under until something changes. 

Prediction 

Donovan Mitchell played well despite a bad shooting night from downtown and a number of turnovers. Darius Garland won’t play that abd again, and Caris LeVert continues to show that he is up for the challenge. 

The Knicks got a surprising outburst from RJ Barrett, but don’t expect that again. Randle and Brunson combine for 50-plus, but the Cavs trio of LeVert, Mitchell, and Garland go for 70-plus combined as Cleveland sneaks out a close win in the final minute. 



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