The Cavaliers head back into a tough road spot Wednesday night, and the timing is not doing them any favors. Cleveland visits the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2026, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN, and New York enters riding a four-game winning streak.
These teams just saw each other four days ago in Cleveland, when the Knicks walked out with a 109-97 win. Karl Anthony-Towns powered New York with 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 37 points and four assists.
Cleveland’s road issues have been a theme early in the season, and the numbers around this matchup underline that pressure. The Cavaliers are 1-4 on the road against the reigning NBA Champion, and they’re trying to get back to .500 at 5-6 overall. New York comes in at 5-4.
Injuries are part of the picture, too. Sam Merrill has been ruled out with an elbow injury, while Jaylon Tyson is questionable because of an ankle issue. The Knicks are mostly healthy, though Josh Hart missed Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with an illness, and his status for Wednesday is uncertain.
Dimers ran 10,000 simulations of the matchup and came away with New York as the likelier winner. The model gives the Knicks a 60.9% chance to win, compared with 39.1% for Cleveland.
The same projections point to the Cavaliers covering +4.5 at 53.1%, while the over/under of 221.5 leans slightly to the over at 51.1%.
Dimers’ projected final score has New York winning 113-109.
The player prop outlook puts Donovan Mitchell at the center of Cleveland’s side, with an expected line of 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. For New York, Jalen Brunson is projected for 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists.
The projected box score also includes Jarrett Allen at 13 points and 7 rebounds, Evan Mobley at 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, and J. Harden at 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists for Cleveland.
For the Knicks, Karl Anthony-Towns is projected for 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists, O. Anunoby for 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists, M.
Bridges for 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, and J. Hart for 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Last season, the Cavaliers and Knicks met three times, and Cleveland won just once. Wednesday gives the Cavs a chance to even this year’s series after the loss in Cleveland over the weekend.
In Other News...
Cavs Already Facing Heat Over Their James Harden Bet
The Cavaliers brought James Harden back on a three-year, $97 million deal after their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, betting that his shot creation and playoff pedigree would help keep them in the conferences top tier. Instead, the early portion of the 2026-27 season has been choppier than expected, with Harden still producing offense but not at the level Cleveland envisioned when it committed that kind of money in the offseason.
Through 12 games, the fit has already become a talking point as Harden has struggled to find the same efficiency and consistency that made the move look so appealing in the first place. Cleveland sits at 6-6 and sixth in the East, which is hardly a disaster this early, but it is enough to make the Harden decision feel like one the Cavaliers will be asked about until he starts looking more like the player they paid for. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Suddenly Have A Sam Merrill Decision Fans Didn't Expect
Sam Merrill has quietly become one of the more useful two-way pieces on Clevelands roster, the kind of wing who can help in a lot of small but important ways when the Cavaliers are trying to round out a rotation. Even with the depth the team has at that spot, Merrills rise has made him more than just a fill-in option, and that has created a real decision point for a front office that has to balance present value with future flexibility.
The complication is that Merrill is still working through an elbow injury that has affected his shooting, which makes the timing of any evaluation tricky. Cleveland would like to see his performance rebound as he gets healthier, but interest from other teams has only sharpened the question of whether the Cavaliers should hold onto him or explore moving him while his market remains active. [Read more 🡒]
Why Mark Price Still Means So Much To Cavaliers Fans
The Cavaliers have long kept Mark Price in a special place in their history, and the franchise made that official on Nov. 13, 1999, when it retired his No. 25 jersey during halftime of a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Price became only the sixth player in team history to receive that honor, a reminder of how deeply his steady play and professional approach still resonate with Cleveland fans.
The ceremony carried the kind of old-school weight that fit Price perfectly, with Wayne Embry and Bobby Cremins on hand to speak about his impact. He was also presented with a piece of the old Richfield Coliseum floor, a symbolic touch that tied his Cavaliers legacy to one of the franchises most memorable eras. [Read more 🡒]
