On Christmas Day, the New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. This should be an exciting part of the NBA’s five-game slate on December 25, 2025. Keep reading for odds, picks, and player props for this game, and make sure you also check out our live VSiN programming for more analysis. Our talented hosts and analysts will surely spend some time talking about these games.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch Cavaliers vs. Knicks
When: Thursday, December 25th at 12:00 pm ET
Where: Madison Square Garden in New York, New York
Channel: ESPN / ABC
Cavaliers vs. Knicks Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publish. They can change. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Knicks -250, Cavaliers
Spread: Knicks -6.5 (-105), Cavaliers +6.5 (-115)
Total: Over 239.5 (-110), Under 239.5 (-110)
Cavaliers vs. Knicks Analysis
This was supposed to be a meeting between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, but the Knicks are the only ones that have lived up to that billing. New York is currently second in the standings at 20-9, and the team won the Emirates NBA Cup last week. Meanwhile, Cleveland is currently seventh in the East, as the team is 17-14 on the year. The Cavaliers are also a league-worst 9-22 against the spread.
Cleveland hasn’t really had its full team healthy yet, so that has something to do with the group’s struggles. However, the Cavaliers have also slipped offensively, and they have never been all that great defensively. The defense is also set to take a hit for another couple of weeks, as Evan Mobley is dealing with a calf strain — which is the scariest injury in the league now.
With these teams having had very different starts to the season, it should come as no surprise that the Knicks are a popular bet when looking at our VSiN betting splits pages. However, it is worth noting that Cleveland has gotten its act together over the last two games. Sure, the Cavaliers played the Hornets and Pelicans, meaning the competition hasn’t been too fierce. But Cleveland’s offensive rating over the two games was 134.0. The Cavaliers also knocked down 22.0 triples per game, shooting 46.5% from deep.
The return of Sam Merrill has just been huge for Cleveland. He’s not a star or anything, but he’s one of the league’s best shooters. When he’s out there, teams have to completely change the way they defend. That makes Cleveland more dangerous, and the team is leaning a little more into being a 3-happy, foot-on-the-gas offensive team without Mobley. That’ll be interesting to watch here, as only three teams in the NBA are giving up more made 3s per game than the 14.6 New York is allowing.
I just don’t think it’s crazy to expect the Cavaliers’ talented backcourt to put on a big-time shot-making display. So, even if this is a game that Jalen Brunson could very well win for the Knicks late, I’d feel much better having points than laying points.
Under Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland is actually 5-4 straight-up and 7-2 against the spread as a road underdog. The team is also 2-0 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 to 12.
Cavaliers vs. Knicks Player Props
Jalen Brunson Over 28.5 Points (-118)
The Cavaliers play at the league’s sixth-fastest pace (102.1), so the Knicks are going to be sped up a little here. That should mean more opportunities for Brunson to cook a Cleveland team that really doesn’t have the greatest point-of-attack options. The best guard defenders on the Cavaliers come off the bench, meaning Brunson will have plenty of minutes working against Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Well, that should mean a big day for the Knicks superstar.
Brunson comes into this game having scored 30+ points in five of the last eight games. He’s in a nice groove as a scorer, and I don’t think he’ll be completely thrown off by the return of Miles McBride — if the guard does play. With no Mobley for Cleveland, that’s one less rim deterrent when Brunson gets two feet in the paint. However, I also like the guard to knock down a ton of off-balance mid-range shots, and he’s also a threat to knock down a bunch of triples.
Cavaliers vs. Knicks Pick
I’m strongly leaning towards the Cavaliers here, but I would love to get 7 or 7.5. So, as of right now, my only play is on Brunson to score at least 29 points. This game has the potential to be an up-and-down affair, so there’s a real possibility Brunson goes off even in a Cleveland cover. With that in mind, going Over on Brunson doesn’t necessarily contradict my thought that the Cavaliers can keep this from getting out of hand.
Bet: Brunson Over 28.5 Points (-118)
