The New York Knicks will look to take a commanding series lead when they battle the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of their NBA Eastern Conference final best-of-seven series on Thursday night. New York rallied from a 22-point deficit to force overtime and then posted a 115-104 win in Game 1 on Tuesday. The Cavaliers (52-30), who placed second in the Central Division, are looking to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2017-18. The Knicks (53-29), who finished second in the Atlantic Division, are looking to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1998-99.

Tip-off from Madison Square Garden in New York City is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Knicks lead the all-time postseason series 13-2, including wins in four in a row. New York is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Cavaliers vs. Knicks odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 216.5. Before making any Knicks vs. Cavaliers picks, check out the Cavs vs. Knicks predictions from SportsLine's Larry Hartstein. 

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed working for Pro Football Focus. He tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS (61 percent). Hartstein is 84-51 in his last 135 NBA player prop picks (+2292). Anyone following his NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Now, Hartstein has studied Cavs vs. Knicks from every angle and just revealed his coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Knicks vs. Cavs:

Top Knicks vs. Cavaliers predictions

After studying Cavs vs. Knicks from every angle, Hartstein is leaning Over 216.5 total points. Game 1 produced 219 combined points, and the Over has hit in three of the last four meetings between the teams. The Over has also hit in seven of the last 10 Cleveland games, and in six of the last 10 New York games. The Cavaliers also had the fourth-best scoring offense in the NBA during the regular season, averaging 119.5 points per game, while the Knicks were 10th at 116.5.

The two teams are a combined 16-10 in regard to the Over during the 2026 NBA playoffs. Cleveland has the fourth-highest Over rate of any of the 16 playoff teams as Hartstein expects lots of points on the scoreboard. See his Cavs vs. Knicks spread pick at SportsLine, and you can bet the Over in Cavs vs. Knicks at FanDuel here:

How to make Cavs vs. Knicks picks

Hartstein has also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can head to SportsLine to see Hartstein's NBA picks. 

So who wins Knicks vs. Cavs, and what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cavs vs. Knicks spread to back, all from the expert who is on an 84-51 roll on NBA picks, and find out.