Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/19/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Venue:  Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +7.5, Knicks -7.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +7.5, Knicks -7.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +7.5, Knicks -7.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

Cleveland Cavaliers:  52-30 (2nd place, Central Division)

New York Knicks:  53-29 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Harry Gagnon is on a HOT STREAK in the NBA on a 17-9-1 NBA RUN for +$7,230 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Cleveland Cavaliers:  6-4 last 10

New York Knicks:  8-2 last 10

The Cavaliers are entering the playoffs with a 52-30 record overall this season and they were 25-16 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Detroit Pistons. Donovan Mitchell led the team in points in that game with 26 while Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each were next on the team with 23 points. Donovan Mitchell led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Evan Mobley led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 50.6% from the field, 32.4% from 3-point range, and 63.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 119.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.4 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 40-56 this season and their O/U record is 49-47.

The Knicks are entering the playoffs with a 53-29 record overall this season and they were 30-10 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 7 game winning streak with wins coming against the Atlanta Hawks 3 times in a row and the Philadelphia 76ers 4 times in a row. Miles McBride led the team in points in that game with 25 while Jalen Brunson was next on the team with 22 points. Karl-Anthony Towns led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Josh Hart led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 53.8% from the field, 56.8% from 3-point range, and 72.4% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.1 PPG against them. The Knicks have an ATS record of 51-42 this season and their O/U record is 43-50.

The current betting odds have the Knicks listed as a 7.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Knicks have looked good in their games this season with their 53-29 record overall which had them right near the top of the East. They have looked great on their home court too with their 30-10 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have looked good in their games this season with their 52-30 record overall which had them in the top half of the East. They have been a good road team too with their 25-16 road record this year. This is game 1 of a 7-game series between the 3rd seeded Knicks and the 4th seeded Cavaliers from the East for the Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs. The Cavaliers have looked a lot better in the playoffs this season compared to last year when they underperformed. As good as they have been this year though, they have still had a lot of trouble in their games. They needed 7 games in the 1st round to get by a mediocre Raptors team that was missing some key players and they needed 7 games in the last round to get by the Pistons. The Pistons were the number 1 seed in the East so that was a really good series win for them, but they were still a young and inexperienced team that the Cavaliers did have an edge over. The Cavaliers also couldn't win a road game in the playoffs until game 5 of that series and they are in a terrible situation here with not a lot of rest on their side. The Knicks have had a week off now since they swept the 76ers in the last round and they crushed them in most of those games. They have looked like the best team in the East since going down 2-1 to the Hawks and they have a ton of momentum on their side now with 7 wins in a row. This is a very short turnaround for the Cavaliers after going 7 games in the last round, so look for the rested Knicks to take advantage of that with the way they have been rolling lately and beat up on a Cavaliers team that has had a ton of trouble in road games. The best way to place a bet here is on the Knicks to cover the spread in this game. 

Cavaliers Knicks Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Tuesday, May 19, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Knicks 122 Cavaliers 107.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Cleveland Cavaliers New York Knicks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NBA predictions and previews.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 18-29 ATS in road games. 0-5 ATS off a road win against a division rival. 2-8 ATS after allowing 100 points or less. 9-5 UNDER off a win against a division rival. 

New York Knicks: 26-14 ATS as a home favorite. 7-2 ATS off a road win against a division rival. 11-6 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%). 11-6 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%).

Cleveland Cavaliers:  L. Nance Jr. (PF) Out - Illness.

New York Knicks:  O. Anunoby (PF) Day To Day - Hamstring.

“It was better than Donovan Mitchell. Is that possible? It started with him, his defense, rebounding, and then when he gets in the paint and starts making other people better, you know, the dishes, dish-offs to our big guys, that was the key, I felt like, to the game. He had complete control of the game.” - Kenny Atkinson after his team’s win against the Pistons in game 7 of that series on Sunday. 

“Our guys tried to take it to another level with their focus on the details and their energy and effort level. That's a lot of the reason why we're playing pretty good basketball.” - Mike Brown after his team’s win against the 76ers in game 4 of that series on Sunday. 

PG James Harden

SG Donovan Mitchell

SF Max Strus

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PG Jalen Brunson

SG Josh Hart

SF Mikal Bridges

PF Karl-Anthony Towns

C Mitchell Robinson

PPG: Donovan Mitchell (27.9)

APG: James Harden (7.7)

Reb/G: Evan Mobley (9)

PPG: Jalen Brunson (26)

APG: Jalen Brunson (6.8)

Reb/G: Karl-Anthony Towns (11.9)

Coaches:

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson (2nd season)

New York Knicks: Mike Brown (1st season)