The New York Knicks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in a meaningful Eastern Conference battle. At 29-19, the Cavaliers rank fifth in the Eastern Conference and slot in four games above the 25-23 Knicks. New York won’t have rim protector Mitchell Robinson tonight, and the books have Cleveland as a road favorite. Bettors looking to score some value on Tuesday’s early matchups should tail this Cavaliers-Knicks NBA player prop. The books have left too much value on the R.J. Barrett player prop markets. Check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays.
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Best Cavaliers-Knicks NBA Player Prop | R.J. Barrett
R.J. Barrett Prop O/U 21.5 Points
Investing in R.J. Barrett with the third overall pick in 2019 hasn’t yielded the returns the New York Knicks hoped for. The respectable but inefficient wing is averaging 20.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this year. However, he is shooting only 43.4% from the floor and 33.2% from beyond the arc. Despite those unimpressive numbers, the books have set the line for his points prop all the way up at 21.5.
A number of factors will make Barrett’s life difficult tonight. For one, the Cavaliers play at the NBA’s slowest pace. The Knicks have even slowed their pace down in the last two games following the loss of Mitchell Robinson. Worse, Cleveland also leads the NBA in wing defense. The Cavaliers have allowed the fewest points per game to shooting guards (20.5) and the fifth-fewest to small forwards (20.6).
Although the Cavaliers lack a true elite option at wing, that allows them to more easily rotate expendable defensive specialists into their lineup. For example, Barrett has faced the Cavaliers twice already, and he drew coverage from Dean Wade in the first game and a rotation of Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens in the second. Barrett scored 15 points in both contests.
The books have this prop set too far above Barrett’s season average for a game like tonight’s. Robinson’s injury won’t give him a boost in usage — the shot-averse center owns the second-lowest usage rate for the Knicks (9.4%). DraftKings and FanDuel both have the juice stacked on the under, but BetMGM is still favoring the over. Bettors should head there for the best deal. New users at BetMGM can secure up to $1,000 in first-bet insurance and two free months of Stokastic+ Platinum by signing up here!
Best NBA Cavaliers-Knicks Player Prop: R.J. Barrett Under 21.5 Points (-105) at BetMGM
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