NEW YORK — The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers faced off on Wednesday night as the two betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Only, the two teams that stepped onto the court at Madison Square Garden weren’t close to the iterations that either team expects to put on the court come playoff time.

Between the two teams, seven key role players were listed as at least questionable on the pre-game injury report, and when the opening night festivities began, the Cavaliers had ruled out starters Darius Garland (toe), Max Strus (Jones fracture), and DeAndre Hunter (knee) while the Knicks had ruled out starting center Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and top reserve Josh Hart (back).

With so many changes needed for the first game of the 2025-26 NBA season, the outcome of the game seeme

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