Overview
- OG Anunoby led New York with 24 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Brunson added 23 despite 5-for-18 shooting, and Karl-Anthony Towns posted 19 points and 11 boards after being listed as questionable.
- After Cleveland erased a 17-point deficit behind Donovan Mitchell’s 31 points (21 in the third), the Knicks seized control with a 14-0 burst early in the fourth.
- Mike Brown used 11 players and emphasized a next-man-up approach, signaling trust in bench pieces like Miles McBride, who scored 15 crucial points.
- The Knicks were without Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management) and Josh Hart (lower back spasms), while the Cavaliers missed Darius Garland, Max Strus and De'Andre Hunter.
- New York owned the possession and physicality battles, decisively winning the glass and taking twice as many free throws as Cleveland (36-18).