Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)New York; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDTLINE: Knicks -6.5; over/under is 216.5EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: Knicks host first series matchupBOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers to start the Eastern Conference finals. New York went 2-1 against Cleveland during the regular season. The Cavaliers won the last regular season matchup 109-94 on Wednesday, Feb. 25 led by 23 points from Donovan Mitchell, while Jalen Brunson scored 20 points for the Knicks.The Knicks are 35-17 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.The Cavaliers have gone 33-19 against Eastern Conference opponents. Cleveland is second in the Eastern Conference scoring 119.5 points per game and is shooting 48.2%.The Knicks’ 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Cavaliers give up. The Cavaliers are shooting 48.2% from the field, 2.2% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Brunson is averaging 26 points and 6.8 assists for the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 17.4 points over the last 10 games.Popular ReadsJames Harden is averaging 23.6 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers. Mitchell is averaging 26.2 points and 5.2 …
