New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 5/25/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Monday, May 25, 2026

Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: New York (-2.5)

The Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) will try to beat the New York Knicks (53-29) at Rocket Arena on Monday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. New York leads 3-0. Cleveland opens this game as 2.5-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under is set at 217.5.

The Knicks went home with a win by a final score of 121-108 in Game 3 to take a commanding series lead. New York finished the contest having earned a 55.8% FG percentage (43 out of 77) and made 11 out of their 28 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Knicks buried 24 of their 27 attempts for a percentage of 88.9%. When talking about grabbing boards, they earned 37 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 27 dimes for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 18 turnovers and earning 11 steals. Concerning defense, New York allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the field on 42 of 84 shooting. Cleveland recorded 22 assists and had 7 steals for this game. In addition, Cleveland had 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive) and had 4 blocked shots. Cleveland went 63.2% when shooting free throws by converting 12 of their 19 shots. They also made 12 out of their 41 attempts from three-point range. Regarding fouls, the Knicks ended up with 19 and the Cavaliers had 22 fouls.

Jalen Brunson is one guy who was important for this contest. He had 30 points on 10 out of 19 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 41 minutes played and grabbed 3 rebounds. Brunson went 52.6% from the floor and totaled 6 assists.

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New York will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 53-29 on the year. They average 116.5 points per outing (10th in the league) while going 47.8% from the floor. The Knicks are connecting on 37.3% from downtown (1,168 of 3,133) and 79.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, New York is grabbing 45.6 boards per game and has accumulated 2,250 dimes for the season, which is 13th in basketball in terms of passing. They cough up possession 13.6 times per game and as a unit are committing 20.0 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Knicks are able to force 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.5 fouls. They are 6th in basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 2,050 surrendered for the year. The Knicks defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.0% (3,223 of 7,014) and they surrender 40.5 boards per game as a basketball team. They relinquish 36.2% from beyond the arc and they rank 5th in the NBA in PPG allowed (110.1).

Cleveland still hasn't found a way to stop New York in the series after their Game 3 loss. In the matter of cleaning the glass, Cleveland allowed New York to grab 37 in total (8 on the offensive glass). They shot 39.3% from three-point range by going 11 of 28 and walked away from this one shooting 24 of 27 from the free throw line (88.9%). The Cavaliers allowed the Knicks to convert 43 out of 77 attempts from the field which left them shooting 55.8% in the matchup. Overall, the Cavaliers shot 42 for 84 from the field which had them shooting 50.0%. With regard to 3-point shots, Cleveland made 12 of their 41 tries (29.3%). They were able to make 12 of them for a clip of 63.2%. The Knicks committed 19 fouls in this contest which got the Cavaliers to the free throw line for 19 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 18 times, while getting 7 steals for this contest. The Cavaliers corralled 25 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for the game.

Evan Mobley ended up having an impact for the Cavaliers in this contest. He made 10 of 18 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 55.6%, and earned 6 rebounds. Mobley had 24 points in his 36 mins of playing time and added 2 dimes in the game.

Cleveland has a mark of 52-30 this year. The Cavaliers have committed 19.6 personal fouls per contest while shooting 77.6% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 28.3 times per game (8th in basketball) and they turn it over 14.0 times per game. Cleveland has accounted for 9,801 points so far this season (119.5 per contest) and they snag 44.4 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Cavaliers are connecting on 48.2% from the field, which is 8th in the league.

The Cavaliers on the defensive end are ranked 15th in the NBA in PPG surrendered with 115.4. They are forcing their opponents into 15.0 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.4% from the floor (8th in basketball). The Cleveland defense gives up 37.2% on 3-point attempts (1,163 of 3,127) and their opponents are knocking down 79.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 26.9 assists and 43.2 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 16th and 12th in the NBA.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New York (-2.5)

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