Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Prediction, 5/19/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks

Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (+7.5)

The Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) are en route to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the New York Knicks (53-29) in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland opens as 7.5-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 216.5.

The Cavaliers dominated Game 7 against Detroit by a score of 125-94. Cleveland finished having earned a 50.6% FG percentage (43 of 85) and converted 11 of their 34 three-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Cavaliers converted 28 of 44 shots for a percentage of 63.6%. In the matter of pulling down boards, they collected 50 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 31 dimes in the matchup in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and getting 10 steals. Regarding defense, Cleveland allowed the other team to go 35.3% from the floor on 30 of 85 shooting. Detroit doled out 21 assists and had 7 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Detroit snagged 41 rebounds (10 offensive, 31 defensive) and got 4 rejections. Detroit finished the game at 75.9% when shooting free throws by converting 22 of 29 attempts. They knocked down 12 out of their 39 tries from 3-point land. In reference to fouls, the Cavaliers finished with 22 while the Pistons totaled 31 fouls.

Donovan Mitchell is one player who played a role in the game. He scored 26 points on 10 out of 22 shooting. He played for 31 mins and pulled down 6 rebounds. Mitchell finished 45.5% from the field and also dished out 8 assists.

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Cleveland will play this contest with a mark of 52-30 this season. They currently have an average of 119.5 pts per contest (4th in the league) while shooting 48.2% from the field. The Cavaliers are connecting on 36.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (1,173 of 3,261) and 77.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Cleveland is collecting 44.4 boards per game and has earned 2,321 assists this season, which has them ranked 8th in the league in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 14.0 times per contest and as a group they are committing 19.6 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Cavaliers are forcing 15.0 turnovers per game while drawing 20.5 personal fouls. They are conceding 37.2% on three-point shots while they are 15th in the NBA in points per game from their opponents (115.4). The Cavaliers are giving up a FG percentage of 46.4% (3,387 of 7,303) and they concede 43.2 boards per game as a squad. They rank 16th in the league in giving up assists with 2,208 surrendered on the year.

The Knicks went home victorious by a score of 144-114 to sweep the 76ers over a week ago. The Knicks were able to collect 32 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards for a total of 47 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. The 76ers committed 23 personal fouls in the game which took the Knicks to the charity stripe for a total of 29 shots. They were able to convert 21 of them for a clip of 72.4%. Regarding shots from 3-point land, New York made 25 out of 44 attempts (56.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Knicks ended up shooting 49 for 91 from the field which had them at 53.8%. The Knicks permitted the 76ers to knock down 43 out of their 86 tries from the field which had them shooting 50.0% for the matchup. They went 22.9% from beyond the arc by going 8 of 35 and walked away from this one shooting 20 of 28 at the charity stripe (71.4%). With respect to rebounding, New York permitted Philadelphia to get 30 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Miles McBride ended up being a major contributor for the Knicks in the matchup. McBride racked up 25 points in his 29 mins on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist. He knocked down 7 out of 10 for this contest for a field goal rate of 70.0%, and had 4 rebounds.

New York has a win-loss record of 53-29 on the year. The Knicks are committing 20.0 fouls per game while shooting 79.2% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 27.4 times per game (13th in the NBA) and they cough up possession 13.6 times per game. New York has accounted for 9,549 pts so far this season (116.5 per game) and they average 45.6 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Knicks are connecting on 47.8% from the field, which is 11th in the league.

The New York defense surrenders 36.2% on 3-point attempts (1,138 of 3,145) and their opponents are converting on 77.8% of their foul shots. They give up 25.0 dimes and 40.5 rebounds per game, which ranks them 6th and 4th in the league. The Knicks on defense are ranked 5th in the league in PPG allowed with 110.1. They are forcing 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.0% from the field (5th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cleveland (+7.5)

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