New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Match Preview - December 16th, 2020 | NBA Preseason 2020-21
The NBA preseason 2020-21 tipped off December 11, and teams have already started their campaigns with varying degrees of success. On one hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers have started the preseason with back-to-back wins against the Indiana Pacers. On the other, the New York Knicks won their first preseason game against Detroit Pistons, but came back to lose the second one against them.Â
Match Details
Fixture: New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers | NBA preseason 2020-21
Date and Time: Wednesday, December 16th, 7:30 PM ET (Thursday, 6 AM IST)
Venue: Madison Square Garden
The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to travel to Madison Square Garden for two back-to-back preseason games, December 16 and 18. The Cavaliers will look to continue their perfect record while the Knicks will want to generate some momentum going into the regular season after losing their second preseason game against the Detroit Pistons.
New York Knicks preview
While the New York Knicks have an interesting roster with a combination of veterans and promising youngsters, coach Tom Thibodeau has until now preferred to put out experience over potential. He further claimed that he wants his young players to earn playing time, which means players such RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Mitchel Robinson need to perform well,
Barrett enjoyed a stellar start to the preseason along with Julius Randle, and both will look to continue their progress. Of course, while the point of the preseason is to get game-fit, a number of New York Knicks’ players will be looking to snatch their opportunity with both hands when it presents itself. The New York Knicks will want to put their defeat behind them and get back to winning ways.
Key player: RJ Barrett
Over the course of his rookie season, RJ Barrett became the New York Knicks’ main ball handler. He started the preseason strongly and will be looking to continue that momentum into the regular season. RJ Barrett could even win the Most Improved Player award this upcoming NBA season.
New York Knicks Predicted Lineup
G Elfrid Payton G Alec Burks F RJ Barrett F Julius Randle C Nerlens Noel
Cleveland Cavaliers preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers have won both their preseason games and will be looking to continue the momentum. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been missing important players such as JaVale McGee, Collin Sexton, and Kevin Porter Jr., and will be looking to give some valuable playing time to McGee and Sexton.
Considering the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a tumultuous season in which they finished with a record of 19-46, fans would have found the first two games refreshing. For now, questions abound over Kevin Love and Andre Drummond as an effective defensive pairing, in spite of the talented youngsters backing them up.
Key Player: Kevin Love
Provided that Love can stay healthy, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking for him to have a good season. Love showed last season that he is still capable of shooting above 35% from beyond the arc and averaged 17.9 points per game in the 2019-20 NBA season.
This time around, with multiple talented youngsters around him, Love will look to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a better position than what they had managed during the 2019-20 NBA season.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
G Darius Garland GÂ Collin Sexton F Cedi Osman F Kevin Love C Andre Drummond.
Cavaliers vs Knicks Match Prediction
With the Cleveland Cavaliers looking to welcome back multiple stars for their third preseason games, they can be expected to get their third win in a row. On the other hand, the New York Knicks have until now stuck to giving playing time to their more experienced players, and their youngsters will be looking to get some valuable playing time before the start of the regular season.
While that may allow the Cleveland Cavaliers to register a win, the New York Knicks have not stuck on a rigid starting five, which should make for a competitive game.
Where to watch Cavaliers vs Knicks?
The match will be telecast live on the MSG network along with the Fox Sports Ohio. Of course, NBA fans can also watch the Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks preseason game on NBA League Pass.