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The New York Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row, and they'll try to grab a 1-0 lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers when the two sides meet at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday for Game 1. The Cavaliers eviscerated the Detroit Pistons on Sunday in Game 7 on the road, so we'll see if that momentum plays a factor in this contest.

OG Anunoby is probable after dealing with a hamstring injury in the second round of the playoffs. The Cavaliers have listed Larry Nance Jr. as questionable, but he hasn't been a major part of their rotation this year.

Here's a look at the best bets for Game 1 between the Cavaliers and Knicks from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times. The model entered the conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 26-10 roll (72%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Check out the FanDuel promo code before placing bets on the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday.

NBA Playoffs picks, best bets for Tuesday, May 19

Knicks -6.5

New York covers the spread in 58% of SportsLine simulations, and the Knicks were one of the best home teams in the league this season. The Cavaliers are on a heater right now after Sunday's Game 7, but it's possible there's some fatigue in those legs and the well-rested Knicks can take advantage. New York is 30-15 ATS at home this season while Cleveland is 19-29 ATS on the road.

Under 217.5

Two of the three meetings in the regular season between these teams went Over this line, but the Knicks trend to the Under at home. They are 24-21 to the Under at home this season and 50-43 to the Under across all games. Cleveland leans slightly to the Over on the road but there's likely to be some sort of shooting drop-off from Game 7, which should help the Under hit. The SportsLine model has the Under cashing in 52.9% of simulations.

Jalen Brunson Over 6.5 assists

Karl-Anthony Towns may have looked like a point guard at times against the Hawks and 76ers, but Brunson remains the engine for New York. The Cavaliers might try to take the ball out of his hands more to start this series, and that'll help Brunson get his teammates involved. He's gone Over this line in five of the team's 10 playoff games, but two of his Unders came at exactly six assists. He's projected for seven assists in SportsLine's props model.

Jarrett Allen Over 7.5 rebounds

Allen is projected to hit 7.7 rebounds in SportsLine's props model, and the big man has emerged in these playoffs on the glass. He has pulled down at least seven rebounds in eight of the team's 14 playoff games and the Cavaliers will need him to enforce his will against the likes of Towns and Mitchell Robinson down low.