Knicks' league-best rebounding faces Cavaliers again in New York

The Cleveland Cavaliers (5-6) visit the New York Knicks (6-4) on Wednesday night, a rematch of Saturday's 109-97 Knicks win in Cleveland, and rebounding again looks like the deciding factor.

New York rebounds 33.2% of its own misses, the best mark in the league, and Cleveland ranks 17th on the defensive boards. Those second chances carry an offense that ranks 26th in effective field goal percentage at 51.3.

The Cavaliers score from deep. Their 46.7% of shots from three is seventh in the league, and their effective field goal percentage of 54.9 is also seventh. That shooting meets the third-best defense in the league, which allows 104.8 points per 100 possessions.

Misses hurt Cleveland more. The Cavaliers rank 25th in offensive rebounding, and New York is first on the defensive glass at 77.9%. The Knicks also play the second-slowest pace in the league, leaving fewer possessions for a shooting team to catch up.

Jalen Brunson leads New York with 25.9 points a game, and Karl-Anthony Towns pulls down 13.8 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell answers with 22.8 points on 48% shooting. Jarrett Allen averages 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and must keep Towns off the offensive boards.

Josh Hart is out for New York. He leads the team with two steals a game and plays 31.6 minutes.

Cleveland is thinner. Sam Merrill, who plays 23.1 minutes, is out and expected back Monday, November 16. Jaylon Tyson is questionable, and Nae'Qwan Tomlin is out. Centers Khalifa Diop and Ernest Udeh, Jr. are also out, leaving little size behind Allen.

The Knicks have won four straight, the latest a 117-85 rout of Milwaukee. The Cavaliers, seventh in the East, have lost two in a row, most recently 124-112 at Charlotte.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET in New York. Sportsbooks' prices give the Knicks a 62% chance to win, and the Keel projection puts it at 60%.