How will the Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1) recover from their epic 22-point collapse Tuesday when they visit the New York Knicks (1-0) at Madison Square Garden for Game 2 of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals?
After all, Cleveland had New York on the ropes in Game 1 until Jalen Brunson had other ideas. As predicted in my series preview, the Cavs had no answer for Brunson, who scored a game-high 38 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Brunson continuously hunted James Harden on defense and Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson just sat there and watched Harden get abused. Atkinson didn’t exactly do himself any favors when asked about his strategic decisions in the postgame press conference.
However, with two nights to sleep on it and a day to adjust, let’s see what Atkinson and Cleveland have learned when they meet New York Thursday. Here is my look for the Cavaliers-Knicks Game 2.
Best Bet: UNDER 215.5
I’m zagging on the Game 1 result after cashing a luck-box Over 217.5. Obviously, I needed overtime and my Over looked dead when only 39 points were scored in the first quarter.
Surely, the betting market would notice and the Game 2 Under would take money. Nope. The game opened with a 214-point total and is up to 215.5 at the time of writing.
Well, despite giving out New York C Karl-Anthony Towns Over 17.5 points earlier Thursday morning, I’m expecting another rock-fight in Game 2.
Considering my history of positive “closing line value” on bets with a negative return on investment in the last two seasons, I have no respect for the NBA market.
Also, the Knicks ranked 27th in pace during the regular season and have better turnover and rebounding rates on both ends of the floor, so they should control the flow of the game.
NYK scored exactly 23 points in each of the first three quarters and Cleveland scored 16 and 18 points in the first and fourth quarters and three points in overtime.
Their first two regular-season meetings went Over the total. But, in their final regular-season meeting, when both teams had their playoff rosters, the Cavaliers beat the Knicks 109-94 on a 231.5-point total.
Plus, the Cavs run their offense through Harden and Donovan Mitchell, but New York is stacked with good perimeter defenders. Meanwhile, Cleveland has a great defensive frontcourt, so it could be tough for NYK to score in the paint.
2026 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS BEST BETS, ODDS, PICKS: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS NEW YORK KNICKS
Finally, even though I feel stronger about the Under, I expect the Knicks to hammer the Cavaliers Thursday, and blowouts are where Overs go to die. Just like Cleveland in Game 1, if New York is up big in the second half, the pace will plummet.
Prediction: Knicks 110, Cavaliers 99
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