The New York Knicks pulled off a stunning 22-point comeback over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1, securing a 115-104 overtime victory.
The opening quarter was not pretty for either side as shooting was a struggle in the first 12 minutes. Both sides played solid defense, but New York’s offense had the edge and led 23-16 after the first quarter.
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The next two quarters were slowly taken over by the Cavaliers, who were led by Donovan Mitchell‘s elite play on both ends. Cleveland shot a blistering 10-of-16 from the floor in the second, while holding the Knicks to just 23 points in the period.
By halftime, Cleveland had pulled ahead by two.
The third quarter was a continuation of this dominance as the Cavaliers played smothering defense on Jalen Brunson and the Knicks. New York went ice-cold from both the floor and from beyond the arc.
Cleveland’s lead expanded to 22 early in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks weren’t going down without a fight. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led a red-hot scoring run that allowed the Knicks to make it a single-digit game with four minutes to play.
That’s when Brunson pulled up for a three that found the nylon, bringing the MSG crowd to their feet, but Cleveland still led by five.
Mikal Bridges kept it going with his own three-pointer, making it a 22-4 scoring run. Jarrett Allen sank a crucial tip-in on the other end to remain ahead by six before Bridges missed on a three.
It didn’t take him long to make up for it with a long-range make and cut Cleveland’s lead back down to three. New York forced a critical turnover on the other end and Landry Shamet took his turn at a shot.
He let a corner three fly , which bounced on the rim a few downs before falling. James Harden responded with a mid-range jumper to go back up by two, but Brunson tied it again with a tough layup.
Sam Merrill missed a go-ahead three-point attempt in the final seconds and the battle went to overtime.
Brunson kept up his clutch heroics in the extra period, sinking a tough floater to pull ahead by four. Cleveland continued to come up empty on offense while the Knicks managed to keep scoring.
With less than two minutes to play, Shamet sank another huge three to pull ahead by nine and seal the victory.
Brunson finished the game with 38 points, five rebounds and six assists.
For Cleveland, Mitchell put up 29 points, five rebounds and six steals.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
