The Knicks had a 13-point lead with 4:29 left in the 3rd quarter when Karl-Anthony Towns went out for rest, allowing Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen freedom to dominate inside — and they pulled Cleveland back in the game with the help of Darius Garland in the backcourt.
Then in the final 8 minutes of the 4th quarter, Garland went Nuts — hitting three 3-pointers, two drives, and free throws for 15 points, 2 steals, and 2 blocks to carry Cleveland to the 110-104 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on a Monday night.
Garland finished with 34 points on 12-19 shooting (5-8 from 3).
The win vaulted Cleveland to a 4-0 start to the season; the Knicks fall to 1-2.
“Missed some shots; gave ’em some easy ones in transition,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “That hurt us.”
“He got going on us,” added Thibodeau about Garland. “Guys like that — I felt like he got too much airspace. I want to take a look at the film to see what we can do better.”
1. Brunson Takes Over in 2nd Quarter
The game was close throughout the 1st quarter, Cleveland holding a 22-18 lead heading into the 2nd. The Knicks had an evenly distributed offense, with Miles McBride hitting some key buckets early in the 2nd to keep NY in pace with the Pacers, with the help of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
mikal makin’ plays 🎯 pic.twitter.com/0ESmfjfGKs
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 29, 2024
Jalen Brunson then started to dominate, with the help of three consecutive Josh Hart buckets for a 6-point Knick lead.
2. Knicks Up 7 at Half, Extend Lead to 13 in 3rd
It was more of the same at the start of the 3rd quarter — the Knicks with an evenly distributed attack from Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Hart, McBride, and Brunson.
coast to coast cap 🫡@jalenbrunson1 pic.twitter.com/C7SXwdoWnO
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 29, 2024
An Anunoby 3 off a Mikal Bridges pass gave NY a 13-point lead with 4:29 left in the quarter.
3. When Towns Is Away the Cavalier Have their Way
But Karl-Anthony Towns took a breather with 3:54 left, and Ariel Hukporti coming in for him.
First Jarrett Allen took advantage with an inside score, then Evan Mobley came in for him, and went right to the bucket for 2 inside hook shots. Towns came back into the game but Cleveland to 6 points and had momentum. They pulled to within 2 by the end of the quarter.
4. Garland Takes Over Down the Stretch
NY went into the 4th leading 78-74 but Cleveland soon tied it on a Donavan Mitchell J, and went ahead on a Georges Niang 3.
A Donavan Mitchell 3 put Cleveland up 4, but the Knicks came back to take the lead on a Deuce McBride 3 with 7:14 left.
That’s when Darius Garland started going NUTS:
- Hitting a 3 to give Cleveland an 89-87 lead,
- Hitting a pullup to make it 91-89 Cleveland,
- Feeding Jarret Allen for a score inside to make it 93-89 Cleveland,
- Stealing the ball from Mikal Bridges with 5:11 left,
- Stealing the ball from Jalen Brunson with 4:52 left,
- Hitting a 3 with 4:27 left to give Cleveland a 96-91 lead,
- Hitting Another 3 with 3:51 left to put Cleveland up 99-91,
DG from WAY downtown‼️@dariusgarland22 | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/244QCWkTLK
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 29, 2024
- Hitting a drive with 2:41 left to make it 101-95 Cleveland,
- Blocking Jalen Brunson’s drive with 1:43 left to keep the score Cleveland 101 NY 97,
- Blocking Brunson’s drive with 1:17 left to keep the score Cleveland 103 NY 98,
- Hitting 2 free throws with 34 seconds left to ice the game, making it Cleveland 105 NY 98.
5. Towns Only 13 Points on 8 Shots
All Knick starters scored in double figures as did McBride off the bench, but Karl-Anthony Towns ended up with only 13 points on 4-8 shooting (1-2 from 3; 4-4 in free throws). Maybe the Knick attack was too balanced.
“I’ve got to be better with it when it comes to that,” said Jalen Brunson afterwards about the 8 shots that KAT got. “I’ve got to adjust and I’ve got to see him.”
Be the first to comment