NY Knicks vs Cavaliers Prediction and Betting Odds

New York has now beaten Cleveland five games running, a streak that started with last May's Eastern Conference Finals sweep and carried on at Rocket Arena last weekend, when Jalen Brunson scored 31 and the Knicks won the boards 49-40 in a 109-97 win.

The twist for the rematch at Madison Square Garden is the schedule, because this time it's the champions playing the second night of a back to back, while the Cavs get a day off after a 124-112 loss in Charlotte.

Before we get to our full preview, here are the key details:

• Competition: NBA Regular Season
• Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York
• Date: Thursday, 12 November 2026
• Start Time: 11:00am AEDT

The Knicks Have Cleveland's Number Right Now

New York went 0-3 to open its title defence but has won five of six since, and Brunson has averaged 29 points across his last five games.

Karl-Anthony Towns has posted a double-double in all nine of the Knicks' games so far, and he finished with 29 in Cleveland as he and Brunson combined for 60 points.

The Cavs are 5-6 and only 1-4 away from home. They thumped Philadelphia 119-95 in an NBA Cup game, then lost to the Knicks and the Hornets on consecutive outings, with Charlotte hitting 23 of 46 from three.

Donovan Mitchell did score a season-high 37 in the last meeting, but 21 of those came in the fourth quarter with the game already slipping away, and Cleveland made just 16 of its 50 three-point attempts that night.

The Knicks Wait on Hart as Allen Returns for the Cavs

Josh Hart has missed New York's last two games with a sore right ankle, and coach Mike Brown called it "nothing major".

Landry Shamet has started in his place, but Hart's rebounding is a big part of why the Knicks have controlled this matchup, so his status after the Bucks game is the one to watch.

Cleveland got Jarrett Allen back from a knee contusion in Charlotte, where he had 12 points and seven rebounds.

Sam Merrill (elbow) and Jaylon Tyson (ankle) both missed the last two games, and Nae'Qwan Tomlin is sidelined with a back problem, which leaves the Cavs thin on the wing again.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Betting Markets

The head to head starts with New York's five-game streak over this opponent, although the schedule pulls the other way this time. 

That makes the line more interesting than usual, because the Knicks won by 12 last weekend while being outscored late as Mitchell got going, so the margin may not hold up on tired legs. If you want a refresher on how the start works, our guide to NBA handicap betting explains it.

Totals deserve a look too. The last meeting finished on 206 points and the Knicks have gone under in most of their games with a posted total so far, while Cleveland's long-range shooting has been streaky enough to swing it either way.

For player markets, Towns' double-double run makes his rebounds a natural talking point, and Brunson's scoring keeps him central to the points props.

With Hart's ankle and New York's minutes from the night before still unknown, the Knicks vs Cavaliers odds are likely to move once the final injury reports land.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Prediction: Our Pick

We're sticking with the Knicks to win at the Garden. They've beaten this Cleveland group five straight times, and the last meeting showed exactly why, with New York winning the rebounding battle 49-40 and the offensive boards 16-10 on a night when both teams shot 42.7% from the field.

The Cavs are also 1-4 on the road and have dropped two in a row, so they arrive with plenty to fix. The risk is the back to back, because a Knicks side coming off a game against Milwaukee the night before, possibly without Hart again, gives Mitchell and a rested Cavs group a genuine opening.

Our pick: Knicks to win

The rest of this week's slate is covered in our NBA tips and predictions.