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Scores

New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers

7:00 PM

Matchup preview

Last season: too early in this one to read much from it

Matchup odds

No moneylines yet.

Who wins?

NYK

Season leaders, per game

CLE
The teams side by side: New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers compared, with league ranks
NYKStatCLE
53–29Record52–30
Offense
6.4(better), 5th in the leagueNet rating9th in the league, 4.0
117.5(better), 3rd in the leagueOffensive rating5th in the league, 117.0
98.7, 27th in the leaguePace13th in the league, 101.8
55.7, 9th in the leagueeFG%4th in the league, 56.1(better)
11.5(better), 8th in the leagueTOV%9th in the league, 11.7
29.3(better), 5th in the leagueOREB%9th in the league, 26.9
0.238, 25th in the leagueFT rate15th in the league, 0.265(better)
Defense
111.1(better), 7th in the leagueDefensive rating15th in the league, 112.9
54.1(better), 11th in the leagueOpp. eFG%14th in the league, 54.3
12.7(better), 10th in the leagueOpp. TOV%13th in the league, 12.5
76.7(better), 2nd in the leagueDREB%11th in the league, 74.4
0.265, 17th in the leagueOpp. FT rate16th in the league, 0.263(better)

This season's meetings

They have not met this season.

Injury report

New York Knicks

  • Mohamed DiawaraQuestionable· back Oct 1
    Report note

    The severity of the finger injury is unknown, though it kept Diawara from playing in New York's final three Las Vegas Summer League outings. Over two outings in Las Vegas this summer, he averaged 3.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per tilt.

    Cost -0.2 per 100
  • Drew EubanksProbable
    Report note

    Thumb

    Cost -0.2 per 100
  • N'Faly DanteOut
    Report note

    Knee

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Peyton WatsonProbable· back Oct 1
    Report note

    Watson isn't guaranteed a spot in the starting five immediately but will have the chance to compete for it during training camp. The 24-year-old forward figures to play a sizable role for Cleveland after being acquired from the Nuggets in August in a multi-team deal. Watson was limited to just 54 regular-season appearances (40 starts) in 2025-26 due in large part to a strained hamstring, though he impressed when healthy, averaging career highs in points (14.6), rebounds (4.9), assists (2.1) and steals (0.9) while chipping in 1.1 blocks per game and shooting 41.1 percent from beyond the arc. His length and defensive versatility will be key for a Cleveland team trying to reach the Finals for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. However, his growth on the offensive end will also be crucial to achieving that objective. Watson is one of the top candidates to join James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the starting lineup, but Atkinson isn't ready to commit to that idea just yet, as the Cavaliers have other options like Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson.

    Cost -2.3 per 100
Key players · NYK: New York Knicks key players: season averages and the last 5 games
PlayerMINPTSREBASTLast 5Impact
Jalen Brunson35.126.03.36.822.6 / 2.8 / 8.62.2
OG Anunoby33.216.75.22.218.6 / 7.0 / 2.04.0
Mikal Bridges32.914.43.83.710.0 / 2.0 / 2.21.8
Karl-Anthony Towns30.920.111.93.020.2 / 10.6 / 5.82.2
Josh Hart30.212.07.44.88.6 / 5.4 / 3.60.5
Key players · CLE: Cleveland Cavaliers key players: season averages and the last 5 games
PlayerMINPTSREBASTLast 5Impact
James Harden34.923.64.88.021.0 / 2.2 / 4.81.7
Donovan Mitchell33.527.94.55.727.6 / 4.8 / 4.84.3
Evan Mobley31.918.29.03.614.8 / 9.0 / 3.42.6
Peyton Watson29.614.64.92.111.6 / 4.8 / 3.01.6
Jarrett Allen27.215.48.51.816.2 / 8.8 / 0.63.4

Last five games

New York Knicks: New York Knicks: last five games
DateOpponentResultSpreadTotal
Jun 13 @ SASWon 94–90––
Jun 10 vs SASWon 107–106––
Jun 8 vs SASLost 111–115––
Jun 5 @ SASWon 105–104––
Jun 3 @ SASWon 105–95––
Cleveland Cavaliers: Cleveland Cavaliers: last five games
DateOpponentResultSpreadTotal
May 25 vs NYKLost 93–130––
May 23 vs NYKLost 108–121––
May 21 @ NYKLost 93–109––
May 19 @ NYKLost 104–115––
May 17 @ DETWon 125–94––
Eastern Conference
#TeamWLPCTGBL10
1DET6022.732–8-2
2BOS5626.68348-2
3NYK5329.64676-4
4CLE5230.63487-3
5TOR4636.561146-4
6ATL4636.561146-4

Matchups by position

What each defense allows per game to guards, forwards and centers, against the league average. Rank 1 allows the most.

NYK attack against CLE defense
PlayerPTSREBAST
Guards47.6 (lg 49.8) , 24th in the league12.9 (lg 13.6) , 25th in the league14.2 (lg 14.2) , 17th in the league
Forwards39.4 (lg 37.4) , 5th in the league15.7 (lg 15.3) , 9th in the league7.2 (lg 7.0) , 14th in the league
Centers9.4 (lg 10.7) , 25th in the league7.5 (lg 7.5) , 16th in the league1.7 (lg 1.9) , 20th in the league
CLE attack against NYK defense
PlayerPTSREBAST
Guards47.6 (lg 49.8) , 23rd in the league12.2 (lg 13.6) , 30th in the league13.5 (lg 14.2) , 23rd in the league
Forwards34.9 (lg 37.4) , 26th in the league14.2 (lg 15.3) , 26th in the league6.7 (lg 7.0) , 22nd in the league
Centers8.6 (lg 10.7) , 30th in the league6.1 (lg 7.5) , 30th in the league1.2 (lg 1.9) , 30th in the league

The box score appears at tip-off.