Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Prediction, 5/21/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (+6.5)

Madison Square Garden is the site where the New York Knicks (53-29) will play the Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) on Thursday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. New York leads 1-0. Cleveland is 6.5-point dogs. The betting total comes in at 215.5.

The Cavaliers walked away from Game 1 with a loss by a score of 115-104 in overtime. Cleveland finished the game with a 40.0% FG percentage (36 of 90) and made 16 out of their 50 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Cavaliers converted 16 of 23 shots for a rate of 69.6%. Regarding pulling down boards, they earned a total of 38 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 23 assists in this game as well as forcing 19 turnovers and earning 11 steals. In the matter of defending, Cleveland let their opponent shoot 47.7% from the floor on 42 out of 88 shooting. New York distributed 20 assists and had 10 steals in this game. On top of that, New York pulled down 47 rebounds (9 offensive, 38 defensive) and added 6 blocks. New York finished the game shooting 65.6% from the charity stripe by knocking down 21 of 32 attempts. They also made 10 of their 32 shots from three-point range. With respect to fouls, the Cavaliers walked away with 29 and the Knicks accounted for 26 fouls.

Donovan Mitchell is someone who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished with 29 points on 12 of 23 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 41 minutes and also totaled 5 rebounds. Mitchell went 52.2% from the floor and also earned 3 dimes.

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Cleveland enters this matchup with a record of 52-30 this year. They have an average of 119.5 pts per contest (4th in the league) while hitting 48.2% from the floor. The Cavaliers are shooting 36.0% on three-point attempts (1,173 of 3,261) and 77.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Cleveland is pulling in 44.4 rebounds per game and has racked up 2,321 dimes for the year, which ranks 8th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per contest and as a squad are committing 19.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Cavaliers are forcing 15.0 turnovers per game and they draw 20.5 fouls. They are ranked 16th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 2,208 conceded so far this season. The Cavaliers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 46.4% (3,387 of 7,303) and they concede 43.2 boards per game as a group. They are giving up 37.2% on shots from distance and they are 15th in the NBA in opponents points per game (115.4).

New York didn't show up in Game 1 until the 4th quarter, but that was enough to complete a 22-point comeback win. The Knicks earned 38 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 47 for this game. They also coughed up the ball 19 times, while recording 10 steals in the matchup. The Cavaliers earned 29 personal fouls in the game which took the Knicks to the free throw line for 32 attempts. They were able to knock down 21 of the free throws for a rate of 65.6%. Regarding 3-pointers, New York knocked down 10 of their 32 tries (31.3%). When the game finished, the Knicks ended up going 42 out of 88 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.7%. The Knicks permitted the Cavaliers to make 36 of 90 tries from the field which left them shooting 40.0% for the matchup. They finished 32.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 16 out of 50 and ended up shooting 16 out of 23 from the charity stripe (69.6%). When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, New York allowed Cleveland to get 38 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

Jalen Brunson ended up being important for the Knicks in the matchup. He converted 15 of 29 in the game giving him a rate of 51.7%, and tallied 5 rebounds. Brunson scored 38 points in his 46 minutes on the court and tallied 6 assists in the matchup.

New York has a record of 53-29 for the season. As an offense, the Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the floor, which ranks 11th in basketball. New York has accounted for 9,549 points on the campaign (116.5 per contest) and they grab 45.6 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 27.4 times per game (13th in the NBA) and they cough up possession 13.6 times per contest. The Knicks are committing 20.0 personal fouls per contest while shooting 79.2% from the free throw line.

The New York defense concedes 36.2% on 3-pointers (1,138 of 3,145) and opponents are connecting on 77.8% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 25.0 assists and 40.5 boards every game, which is ranked 6th and 4th in basketball. The Knicks on the defensive side of the court are 5th in basketball in PPG given up with 110.1. They are able to force 14.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.0% from the field (5th in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New York (-6.5)

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