Will the New York Knicks take a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night?

The Knicks are 1.5-point favorites Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) after they got a split in Cleveland over the first two games of the series. New York won the first game of the series before the Cavaliers stormed back with an incredibly easy win in Game 2 to even the series.

The Knicks are getting a boost from oddsmakers for having home-court advantage and Julius Randle on the court. Randle returned for the postseason after missing time at the end of the regular season because of a sprained ankle.

If you’re looking to bet Cleveland, you’re probably eyeing New York’s home record during the regular season. Yes, Madison Square Garden is likely going to be raucous on Friday. That could play a big role. But the Knicks were just 23-18 at home this season and 24-17 on the road. Cleveland was 31-10 at home and 20-21 on the road.

The total for the game is at 211.5 and we’re leaning to the over in this one as we're hoping for more points after relatively low scoring Games 1 and 2. There were just 208 combined points in Game 1 and 207 points in Game 2.

We’d also advise you to go with a moneyline pick, especially if you’re looking to bet the Cavaliers. Instead of going with the Cavs on such a small spread, Cleveland is +105 to win the game straight up. New York is -125 to win.

Boston aims for a 3-0 series lead

No matter who wins Friday night in New York, that series looks to be the most competitive in the East after Philadelphia took a 3-0 lead against Brooklyn, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s likely return against the Heat and the Celtics’ early domination against the Hawks.

Boston is up 2-0 on an overmatched Atlanta heading into Friday night’s Game 3 and is a 4.5-point favorite ahead of the first game in Atlanta. The Celtics are looking to extend a win streak against the Hawks that dates back to Feb. 13, 2022, when Boston beat Atlanta 105-95. That game came after Atlanta’s last win against the Celtics on Jan. 28, 2022.

The Celtics feel like the right play here, even if it’s likely that Atlanta will win a game in this series to make it more of a gentleman’s sweep than a real sweep.

Can Nuggets go up 3-0?

Denver is aiming to put Minnesota a game away from elimination on Friday night. The Timberwolves are 2.5-point underdogs against the Nuggets after losing the first two games on the road. Karl-Anthony Towns is vital to Minnesota’s chances of a win in this one after his awful performances in the first two gams of the series.

Towns scored just 21 points over the first two games and shot a combined 8-of-27 from the field. While he grabbed 22 rebounds, he’s also committed nine turnovers. It’s hard to see a scenario where Minnesota wins this game without Towns having a much better performance.

Arsenal needs a win

Arsenal is at the top of the English Premier League standings but isn’t the favorite for the title after drawing its last two games. The Gunners lead Manchester City by four points, but City has a game in hand and there’s also still a head-to-head matchup remaining between the teams.

Arsenal can extend the lead to seven points on Friday with a win against Southampton. The Saints are in last in the EPL standings and five points away from safety. The odds reflect the disparity between the teams too. Arsenal is -500 to win while Southampton is +1300 to win. A tie is +600 and the over/under is at 3.5 goals. The under is the more likely selection there as three or fewer goals is at -160.

Who cashed tickets Thursday?

The Suns got a massive road win in a 129-124 win over the Clippers in Game 3 on Thursday night. Devin Booker had 45 as the Suns took a 2-1 series lead. The Warriors also cut the Kings’ lead to 2-1 without Draymond Green on Thursday night with a 114-97 win at home. Golden State jumped ahead of the Kings early and maintained its advantaged throughout the second half as Steph Curry dropped 36.

The Sixers beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-97 to take a 3-0 lead on Thursday despite James Harden’s ejection and Joel Embiid’s flagrant foul.