The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks will try to take another step toward locking up their exact seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs when they square off on Friday night.
NY are four games back of the Cavaliers and 2.5 games ahead of Brooklyn for the No. 5 seed, while Cleveland is in fourth place, sitting 2.5 games behind Philadelphia. The first game between these clubs was won by Cleveland, but the last two have been won by New York.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers injuries: 4 Questionable, 5 Out
Since the beginning of a nine-game winning streak in the middle of February, which ended with a double-overtime victory in Boston, New York has had trouble maintaining its success.
Six of the next nine games were losses for the Knicks, but they bounced back with victories over Houston and Miami.
With a victory on Friday, they will secure a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and move 2.5 games ahead of Brooklyn for fifth place.
With five games left, New York has a slim chance of catching Cleveland in the standings.
- Julius Randle – Out for the season
In the win over the Heat on Wednesday, Julius Randle sprained his left ankle. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The Knicks only have five games left in the regular season, meaning that Randle’s season will end soon. The team is currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but the star big man may return for a playoff run.
Over the course of 77 games, Randle will post season averages of 25.1 points, 10.0 boards, and 4.1 assists in 35.5 minutes.
The likes of Obi Toppin, Jericho Sims, and Isaiah Hartenstein could step up to the plate in his absence.
The Knicks’ decision to bench Randle for the rest of the regular season is indicative of their current state of mind and level of motivation.
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For Cleveland, after Sunday’s victory over the Rockets, the Cavaliers ensured themselves a postseason berth for the first time since 2018.
From the beginning of March, Cleveland’s play has been outstanding. They have won nine of their last 12 games. Beginning on March 17, the Cavaliers went on a four-game winning streak.
They had their winning streak snapped in a 120-118 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday during which they had a shorthanded roster.
Injuries to starting forward Isaac Okoro (left knee) and center Jarrett Allen (groin) forced Donovan Mitchell to start at point guard and he responded with 44 points, matching LeBron James for Cleveland record of 10 games with 40 or more points.
As the Cavaliers aim to secure at least the first round of playoff home court, the 26-year-old guard is averaging 29.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.1 threes, and 1.2 steals in the month of March.
Injury Report Cavaliers:
- Jarrett Allen (Groin) – Questionable
- Raul Neto (Hamstring) – Questionable
- Dean Wade (Illness) – Questionable
- Isaac Okoro (Knee) – Out
- Danny Green (Covid-19) – Out
Injury Report Knicks:
- Derrick Rose (Illness) – Questionable
- Julius Randle (Ankle) – Out
- DaQuan Jeffries (Calf) – Out
- Duane Washington Jr. (Hip) – Out
