A little more than two weeks ago, Julius Randle sprained his ankle in a game against the Miami Heat. He probably hasn't gone full speed in practice yet, but it appears as if he has been cleared to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the New York Knicks against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

BetOnline customers will be able to see that one on Saturday at 6 PM ET at the Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland.

Randle has largely been an iron man for the Knicks, missing only 17 out of 302 games since joining the team. There has been a considerable amount of speculation surrounding the decision as to whether head coach Tom Thibodeau would let him play. Undoubtedly he would like to make up for a rather disappointing performance last year in the playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, which the Knicks lost in five games.

But NBA playoff bettors have to be left wondering whether Randle is going to be able to log a lot of playing time.

There are people around who can make up for it. Jalen Brunson has proven to be one of the better off-season pickups in the NBA, as he has carried this team at times. And the last time the Knicks met up with Cleveland, he put 48 points up on the board.

Cleveland is the higher seed here, and therefore they get the home court advantage in the series. The Cavs are a pretty well-rounded team. They can get explosion, for certain, with the off-season's grand prize, Donovan Mitchell, the New York native who was highly coveted by the Knicks. And they also finished the 2022-23 season with the best Defensive Rating in the NBA.

Here are the NBA playoff odds for Game 1 of the series:

Cleveland Cavaliers -5.5 (-113)
New York Knicks +5.5 (-107)

Over 216.5 Points -110
Under 216.5 Points -110

The Cavs are also -184 favorites to win the series, with the Knicks at +164. And you can catch those series prices, along with props, at BetOnline.

Unlike a lot of teams in the NBA, who have gone with smaller, quicker lineups, the Cavs have big people up front, providing the anchor to their defense. Jarrett Allen, who made his first NBA All-Star game last season, plays alongside Evan Mobley, and they are formidable, to say the least. Mobley was recently named one of the finalists for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Our best guess is that they are going to clog the lane and force the Knicks to shoot quite a bit from the outside,. And that means New York center Mitchell Robinson may have to work overtime. One of the more fascinating parts of this matchup is that Robinson is a tough guy to deal with inside, as he leads the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (4.5). Part of the Knicks' game plan is to impose its will on the offensive glass and get second-chance points, and we're not sure how successful they are going to be in that regard. Remember that Randle averages 25 points and ten rebounds a game, so if he is less than 100% healthy that is going to hurt this team's efforts.

Another interesting duel here could be between the sixth men. Immanuel Quickley of the Knicks has been superb, and has learned his lessons well at the feet of veteran Derrick Rose. The Knicks suddenly have a few guys who can really handle the ball. Cleveland counters with Caris Levert, and new York-area fans remember him from his days with the Nets, especially in the Orlando bubble, when he really carried the load for an injury-decimated Brooklyn squad, leading them to seven wins in ten games.

Isaac Okoro has returned from an injury for the Cavs, and since he has a reputation as an excellent perimeter defender, he will stay occupied as the Knicks will do some launching from the arc. Unfortunately, RJ Barrett has not found the range from there much lately. I'd like to see Randle play a game healthy and assert himself, but until then, we'll lay the points.

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