NBA Playoffs Odds: Cavaliers vs Knicks Series Opening Lines, Expert Pick

NBA Playoffs Odds: Cavaliers vs Knicks Series Opening Lines, Pick

The 2023 NBA regular season is over. It's time to turn our attention to the 2023 NBA playoffs and the NBA playoffs odds for Cavaliers vs Knicks– the odds to win the series, series spreads and more lines for this 2023 NBA playoffs series.

Cavaliers vs Knicks Odds

According to DraftKings, the Cavs are listed at -200 t win the series, and the Knicks are +160 as underdogs.

Perhaps the uncertainty around Julius Randle's health is impacting these odds, as it's unclear how healthy the Knicks forward will be when the series starts. He did not travel with the team on their current road trip.

The dynamic in this series is fascinating, as each of these fan bases are hungry for any type of playoff success.

New York lasted won a playoff series in 2013, and it has only played in one since – falling to Trae Young and the Hawks in 2021.

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The last time Cleveland was in the postseason, LeBron James was guiding the team. Cleveland lost the 2018 finals to the Golden State Warriors, James went to Los Angeles in free agency that summer, and the rest is history.

NBA playoffs action will begin on April 15 after the conclusion of the regular season and play-in games.

For more Cavs vs Knicks odds, check out Knicks vs Cavaliers Odds, Time, Channel for Game 1 | 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Cavaliers vs Knicks Expert Pick, Analysis 

Matt Moore: The Knicks won the season series versus the Cavaliers, but the important thing in regular-season matchups isn’t the outcome — it’s the matchup. How did the game play out, and which lineups worked and which didn’t?

Cleveland only had their intended starting lineup together for one game. That’s Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

In that game, the Cavs' starters had a 143.9 offensive rating and won their minutes by 22 points per 100 possessions. That’s the trend overall for the season series. The Cavaliers' starters won their minutes; the bench got annihilated. In the playoffs, starters tend to play more, and benches play less.

Tom Thibodeau's teams are 27-34 ATS in the playoffs and 11-17 ATS as a dog. The Knicks’ defense has waxed and waned this year, as has the Cavs’ offense.

That matchup will be what decides it. I’ll be looking for Cavs -1.5 on the series spread line as a play.

Moore's Expert Pick: Cavs -1.5 series spread (+120 via DraftKings)