Knicks vs Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 Picks

Just over a month ago, New York was on the ropes. Back-to-back one-point losses to Atlanta in the first round had the Knicks teetering, and the questions surrounding this roster were growing louder by the day. What followed has been one of the most dominant extended stretches of basketball the postseason has seen in years. Ten straight wins, nine by double digits, capped by a stunning comeback from 22 points down in the fourth quarter to steal Game 1 of this series in overtime.

New York has not looked back since, winning Games 2 and 3 with relative comfort to put Cleveland on the brink of elimination tonight at Rocket Arena. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Here are our Game 4 picks.

Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 4 predictions

• Pick 1: New York Knicks -2.5 (-105)
• Pick 2: Under 217.5 (-110)
• Pick 3: Jalen Brunson Over 36.5 Points, Rebounds, and Assists (-120)

PICK 1: New York Knicks -2.5 (-105)

The line movement tells you everything you need to know about where the market stands on this game. This game opened with Cleveland as home favorites, but it has since flipped to the Knicks as road favorites at -2.5, which is a remarkable statement of confidence in a visiting team facing a potential sweep. The oddsmakers do not believe in a home-court bounce-back, and it is hard to argue after watching three games of this series.

Mike Brown's staff has had a tactical answer for every adjustment Cleveland has made. Going to five shooters late in games has consistently opened driving lanes for Brunson, Bridges has been relentless off the ball, producing easy buckets through constant cutting and movement, and Karl-Anthony Towns continues to control the pace of the offense as a pick-and-roll hub. Every New York starter is averaging at least 14 points in this series, making the Knicks virtually impossible to game-plan against.

Cleveland has shot a dismal 67.6% from the free-throw line in the series and managed just 63% in Game 3, squandering possessions at the worst possible moments. There is no blueprint available to the Cavaliers that they have not already tried. Lay the points with New York to punch its ticket to the Finals.

PICK 2: Under 217.5 (-110)

This total is a natural extension of how this series has played out and how New York prefers to win basketball games. The Knicks are a defense-first team that thrives by controlling tempo, winning the rebounding battle, and suffocating opponents in the halfcourt over four quarters. That formula has kept scores well below this number throughout the series, and nothing about tonight changes that approach, particularly in a closeout situation where Brown will have his group locked in defensively from the opening tip.

Cleveland is built to score in transition and through perimeter shooting, and the Knicks have systematically taken both away across three games. Mitchell finished Game 3 at minus-22 with five turnovers, and Harden committed six turnovers of his own. The Cavaliers have no consistent answer for New York's physicality in the halfcourt, and a desperate team playing for its season is more likely to play slower and more cautiously, not faster. Fewer possessions means a lower-scoring game. Back the Under.

PICK 3: Jalen Brunson Over 36.5 Points, Rebounds, and Assists (-120)

Brunson is averaging 26 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game on the season, and his output in this series has eclipsed every one of those marks. He dropped 30 points and 6 assists in Game 3 while finishing a plus-15, serving as the engine behind New York's dominant road performance.

In a closeout game where Brown will lean heavily on his best player and run the offense through his hands at every critical juncture, Brunson's minutes and ball-handling responsibilities will both be at their peak. The scoring, rebounding, and playmaking numbers all trend in the right direction in exactly this kind of environment. Back him to deliver in the biggest game of the Knicks' season.