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Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks Tips & Live Stream - Spectacle guaranteed at Madison Square Garden

Nemanja Dojcinovic

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Last updated: Thu 25 Dec 2025 02:41

Nemanja Dojcinovic 25 Dec 2025

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Knicks face Cavaliers at MSG for their second meeting this season.
Knicks hold strong home-court record
Cavs struggle with defense and injuries, aiming for redemption.

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Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks Preview
New York Knicks Form & Team News
Cleveland Cavaliers Form & Team News
Head-to-Head

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks Preview

With their second meeting of the season at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will tip off the NBA Christmas night.

Will the Knicks defeat the same opponent for the second time this season, or will the Cavs make amends for their loss a month ago?

Stream CLE Cavaliers at NY Knickswatch and bet at bet365WATCH

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New York Knicks Form & Team News

Knicks are having a strong season after entering it with a new head coach and a largely unchanged roster. The goal remains the same: reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in more than 25 years.

At the moment, they sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 20-9 record, holding a two-game advantage over the third-place Boston Celtics.

Madison Square Garden has been a very tough fortress to conquer this season. In 16 home games so far, the Knicks have lost only twice. The most recent home defeat came a few days ago, when the Philadelphia 76ers won 116-107.

It was one of the Knicks’ poorer shooting performances, with the team’s star player Jalen Brunson struggling badly, shooting just 7-for-22 from the field.

Ahead of this matchup, the Knicks also suffered a 115-104 road loss in Minneapolis, but in that game they were unable to count on Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet, and Guerschon Yabusele due to minor injuries.

In such circumstances, they were unable to compete on equal terms with the tough Timberwolves, who were led by two highly inspired stars: Anthony Edwards (38 points) and Julius Randle (25 points).

For the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns delivered a strong performance against his former club with 40 points and 13 rebounds, but he simply did not receive enough support from his teammates.

Cleveland Cavaliers Form & Team News

Cavaliers have been one of the bigger disappointments of the season so far, at least in my personal view. A team that, along with the Thunder, played the best basketball in the regular season last year looks unrecognizable this season and currently sits only seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 17-14 record.

One of the key reasons for the Cavs’ decline this season has been their defense, which is nowhere near as strong as last year. It also appears that team chemistry is not at the same level, even though the roster has remained largely unchanged.

It is rare for the Cavs to hold opponents to a reasonable number of points, and the low point of their poor form came in mid-month, when they lost three consecutive games to the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, allowing an average of 127 points per game.

The picture has improved slightly with their last two wins against the Hornets and Pelicans, but even in those victories the overall performance has not been convincing, as they once again conceded a high number of points against teams that are not even play-in contenders.

It is also worth noting that the Cavs are dealing with injury problems to their most important big men, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who are crucial on the defensive end. However, even with them available earlier in the season, the team did not look much better.

In their most recent win over the New Orleans Pelicans, 141-118, Donovan Mitchell once again led the Cavs with 27 points, while returning guard Sam Merrill added 22 points, including six three-pointers.

Head-to-Head

The Knicks came out on top in the first meeting between these two teams this season, winning 119-111. For the victors, OG Anunoby was outstanding with a strong double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Donovan Mitchell stood out for the Cavs with 31 points.

Verdict

CLE Cavaliers @ NY Knicks

Christmas Day games always carry a special vibe and feel more like playoff matchups than regular-season contests. The Knicks are favorites in this game due to home-court advantage and their much better form, but there is no doubt the visitors will put up a serious fight.

Cavs will once again be weakened by the absence of Evan Mobley, which will further hurt their defense and rim protection. For that reason, I expect this to be another high-scoring clash between the two teams.

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