Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points Saturday night, Nov. 7, but the Cleveland Cavaliers could not keep up with the New York Knicks, falling 109-97 at Rocket Arena in the teams’ first meeting since last spring’s Eastern Conference finals, according to Reuters.
Jalen Brunson collected 31 points and nine assists and Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points and 13 rebounds for New York, Reuters reported. Brunson seized the game in the second quarter, scoring 18 straight Knicks points during one stretch as New York turned a one-point deficit after the first quarter into a 63-53 halftime lead.
Cleveland led 27-26 after one quarter, but the game tilted for good in the middle periods. The Akron Beacon Journal’s live recap noted Landry Shamet’s late third-quarter 3-pointer gave New York its largest lead of the night at 88-69, and the Knicks carried an 88-70 advantage into the fourth.
Mitchell nearly dragged the Cavaliers back by himself, scoring 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, Reuters reported. Cleveland never got closer than eight points, however, and Mitchell received little offensive support — James Harden finished with just seven points, according to Bleacher Report’s box-score recap.
The loss ended a brief home stand on a sour note for the Cavaliers (5-5), who one night earlier routed LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 on the same floor. Playing the second game of a back-to-back, Cleveland looked a step slow after the first quarter against the defending champion Knicks (5-4), who moved above .500 for the first time this season, Reuters reported.
The defeat also extended New York’s recent mastery of the matchup. The Knicks swept Cleveland in last spring’s conference finals, and Saturday marked their third straight win of the young season overall.
The Knicks also controlled the glass when it mattered, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds, according to HoopsHype’s game summary, which repeatedly extended possessions during Cleveland’s fourth-quarter push. For a Cavaliers team that prided itself on depth, Saturday instead underlined how much of the offense still runs through Mitchell when games tighten.
Cleveland gets little time to dwell on it. The Cavaliers travel to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Monday, then head to Madison Square Garden for a rematch with the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Bleacher Report — a quick chance to answer Saturday’s result on New York’s floor.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY