The match started off rather poorly for the Knicks, and that’s saying something. After 40 seconds of play, Jalen Brunson, their All-Star point guard, came off a screen and on his impulse, injured his right leg! Unable to get up on his own, Brunson had to be supported to reach the locker room, a real blow for New York!
But the Knicks are holding up well. Better, behind Donte DiVicenzo (12 points) and Miles McBride (8 points) who together score more than the entire Cavs team, the visitors even take the lead (28-19). Opposite, the Cavs cannot do it offensively, like Max Strus, hood despite five shot attempts.
Evan Mobley tries to revive his cavalry in the second quarter, but McBride puts him on the ground on a cross dribble and New York continues to race in the lead. Bojan Bogdanovic ensures 10 points at 5/6 over the period coming off the bench, but Sam Merrill does even better on the Cavs side, with 12 points at 4/5 at 3-points. On a final rainbow shot from Garland, Cleveland regains the advantage at the break (53-51).
Hart and McBride clutch
The Cavs put the ball inside to get back on the scoreboard in the second quarter. They leave with the same recipe when they return from the locker room. Mobley and Allen combine well inside, for a basket plus the first's fault. But Hartenstein doesn't hesitate to climb on Allen to dunk! Even without its two All-Stars, Randle and Brunson, New York regains the upper hand, thanks to 16 points from DiVicenzo in the period in particular (87-78).
Garland and the Cavs pull out all the stops to get back together at the start of the last quarter, including a superb alley oop from Garland for Allen. They come back to breathe on the neck of the Knicks, at -3. But Bogdanovic manages to calm things down, before Hart in the right corner, then McBride in the left corner, takes 3-pointers to definitively seal the victory for the Knicks in the last two minutes (107-98).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Jalen Brunson's injury. Already deprived of Julius Randle and OG Anunoby for several weeks, the Knicks had to play without Jalen Brunson against the Cavs. After only 40 seconds of play, Brunson found himself on the ground, unable to get up, after a benign action: a shot coming off the screen. After the match, Thibodeau and the Knicks wanted to be reassuring, explaining that the first examinations had revealed nothing serious, just poor knee-to-knee contact it seems…
– Josh Hart's heroic triple-double. It's one of the nagging refrains of the Knicks season: when it's not one, it's the other. There is always a player who seems capable of taking responsibility for his teammate in the event of a hard blow. Especially among the former Villanova Cats… This night, it was Hart who took care of it with an impressive triple-double: 13 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists. That, plus an ultra clutch 3-point shot in the last minute, in front of the Cavs bench. Not to mention that the other former 'Nova, Donte DiVicenzo finished with a superb stat line: 28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists.
– A new setback for the Cavs. Since their series of 17 victories in 18 games, straddling January and February, the Cavs have come back down to earth. Still deprived of Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs were on alternating current all evening, as JB Bickerstaff later regretted, notably conceding 36 points in the 3rd quarter. One more defensive poor performance for Cleveland which remains on 4 defeats in 7 games since the return of the All-Star Game…
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
