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Knicks host the Cavaliers for Christmas day matchup

Cleveland Cavaliers (17-14, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (20-9, second in the Eastern Conference)

New York; Thursday, 12 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 236.5

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks square off against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks are 16-8 in Eastern Conference games. New York averages 120.1 points and has outscored opponents by 7.2 points per game.

The Cavaliers have gone 13-11 against Eastern Conference opponents. Cleveland ranks third in the NBA averaging 15.3 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 34.8% from downtown. Donovan Mitchell leads the team averaging 4.0 makes while shooting 38.8% from 3-point range.

The Knicks are shooting 47.9% from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points higher than the 46.8% the Cavaliers allow to opponents. The Cavaliers score 7.1 more points per game (120.0) than the Knicks allow their opponents to score (112.9).

The two teams match up for the second time this season. The Knicks defeated the Cavaliers 119-111 in their last matchup on Oct. 22. OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 24 points, and Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 31 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Brunson is shooting 48.2% and averaging 29.1 points for the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 40.0 points over the last 10 games.

De’Andre Hunter is averaging 15.3 points for the Cavaliers. Mitchell is averaging 27.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 7-3, averaging 119.4 points, 45.8 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.9 points per game.

Cavaliers: 5-5, averaging 122.6 points, 46.1 rebounds, 28.5 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.5 points.

INJURIES: Knicks: Guerschon Yabusele: day to day (illness), Landry Shamet: out (shoulder), Jalen Brunson: day to day (ankle), Miles McBride: day to day (ankle), OG Anunoby: day to day (ankle).

Cavaliers: Max Strus: out (foot), Evan Mobley: out (calf), Lonzo Ball: day to day (injury management), Larry Nance Jr.: out (calf).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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