The 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals gets rolling tonight at Madison Square Garden, with the well-rested Knicks hosting a weary but resilient Cavaliers team. New York has not played since May 10, while the Cavs were still battling the Pistons in the second round less than 48 hours ago. Cleveland emphatically won Game 7 in Detroit Sunday night, 125-94, as Donovan Mitchell led the way with 26 points.
The Cavs are +215 underdogs at Fanatics Sportsbook to win the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks. Below, we’ll dish out a betting preview for Cleveland vs. New York.
Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
- Date/Location: Tuesday, May 19 at Madison Square Garden
- Start time/TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Point Spread: Cavaliers +7.5 (-115) at Knicks -7.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Cavaliers +200 at Knicks -245
- Total: Over 217.5 (-112)/Under 217.5 (-108)
The Cavs are not only coming off a seven-game series against the Pistons, but they also went the distance with the Raptors in the round prior.
The Knicks are 7-3 against the spread in the playoffs thus far, while the Cavs are 7-7. Spread bettors have been happy with the Cavs of late, as Cleveland has gone 4-1 ATS in its last five games.
Mitchell has been tremendous in the playoffs thus far as he is scoring at a 25.6 points per game clip. In games where Mitchell has not been up to par offensively, James Harden has been able to turn back the clock and become Cleveland’s go-to option. The Beard was Cleveland’s high scorer in Game 5 and Game 6 of the Detroit series, and Game 3 and Game 5 of the first round series against the Raptors. Cleveland went 2-2 in those games.
As for the Knicks, since Game 4 of their first round series against Atlanta, New York has gone 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games. The Knicks won the series over the Hawks in six games. It was a strange round in that Atlanta actually held a 2-1 series lead, but the Knicks blew the doors off the Hawks in the latter part of the series. That momentum clearly carried over to the next round against Philly, as Joel Embiid and Co. were simply uncompetitive against the red-hot Knicks.
In New York’s 10 playoff games in 2026, Jalen Brunson (27.4 ppg in 2026 playoffs) has been the high scorer in six of them. OG Anunoby was the high-scorer for New York in Game 3 and Game 4 of the Hawks series, and Miles McBride was the offensive flag-bearer in Game 4 of the series against Philly.
The Cavs and Knicks met three times during the regular season, with Mike Brown’s ballclub winning the first two. The first meeting occurred on opening night, with the Knicks winning at Madison Square Garden 119-111. The second meeting, also at MSG, happened on Christmas Day 2025 with the Knicks edging Cleveland 126-124. The most recent matchup took place at Rocket Arena on Feb. 24, with the Cavs winning 109-94.
Only the last meeting is of real significance for the ECF, considering Cleveland made monster transactions in early February, landing James Harden and Dennis Schroder via trades. Harden was one of the better players on the floor in that Feb. 24 Cavs win, as he scored 20 points in 32 minutes.
The total for Game 1 has been set at 217.5 by Fanatics. In the playoffs thus far, five Knicks games have gone Over the total, and five have gone Under.
Cavs games have gone Over more times than not, as nine have gone Over the number and five have gone Under.
As for player props for Game 1, Brunson’s points O/U has been set at 27.5 and Karl-Anthony Towns’ is 17.5. Mitchell’s points O/U is 26.5 and Harden’s is 19.5.
Series schedule
Here is a look at the series schedule for Cavs vs. Knicks.
Game 1: Tuesday at New York (8 p.m., ESPN)
Game 2: Thursday at New York (8 p.m., ESPN)
Game 3: Saturday at Cleveland (8 p.m., ABC)
Game 4: Monday, May 25, at Cleveland (8 p.m., ESPN)
*Game 5: Wednesday, May 27, at New York (8 p.m., ESPN)
*Game 6: Friday, May 29, at Cleveland (8 p.m., ESPN)
*Game 7: Sunday, May 31, at New York (8 p.m., ESPN)
*if necessary
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