The New York Knicks spread the wealth amongst each other beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 and going up 2-0 in the ECF.
While Jalen Brunson was the main reason for the Knicks win last game, his squad looked to prioritize getting everyone involved to begin the game. The rock was moving constantly with multiple players attacking the rim. The Knicks struggled from the three-point arc again, but they made up for it by scoring 18 points in the paint.
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The Cavs relied heavily on their bigs and three point shooting to begin the contest. Evan Mobley made his first two threes to begin the game, and Jarrett Allen won many offensive rebounds. The two big-men combined for 16 points and 8 rebounds, while the team shot 50% from three.
The efficient three-point shooting of the Cavs was able to keep the Knicks’ bully-ball offense at bay in the first.
After a quiet first, Donovan Mitchell started the second quarter trying to attack the paint, either getting to the rim or kicking out for open threes. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges kept Mitchell’s surge to a minimum, attacking the hoop themselves or pulling up from midrange.
The majority of the second quarter was a free-throw shooting competition, as both teams went back and forth repeatedly fouling each other. The tempo of the game slowed heavily, but some solid shooting by Josh Hart led the Knicks to attain a four-point lead at the end of the second quarter.
Allen started the second half strong for the Cavs, scoring down low and blocking shots at the other end. Brunson quickly slowed that effort, assisting the Knicks in a dominating 18-0 run shortly into the third quarter.
The Cavs appeared content relying on their three-point shooting to keep them afloat. However, halfway into the third quarter, the Cavs were now 1-16 from downtown since the end of the first.
On the other end of the court, Hart began to light up the Cavs even more from the behind the arc. He drained three threes and scored 12 points in the third quarter to help the Knicks begin running away from the Cavs.
The three-point shooting of the Knicks was burying the Cavs in the third, and Brunson did not even need to score. This was the testament to the plan Mike Brown set out for his team, as Brunson had 10 assists and only 9 points at the end of the third. After a commanding team performance, the Knicks led the Cavs by 15 going into the fourth.
The Knicks went a bit cold to begin the fourth quarter, while also racking up five team fouls within the first three minutes. The Cavs tried to capitalize, but they just could not get things going quick enough. The Knicks’ playmaking on display was just too much for the Cavs to overcome, as the team finished the game putting up a staggering total of 32 assists.
Josh Hart was the leading scorer for the Knicks, racking up 26 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. Jalen Brunson put up a line of 19-14-3 (playoff career-high in assists), and Mikal Bridges shot the ball very well, putting up 19 points at 75% from the field.
Donovan Mitchell was the leading scorer for the Cavs, putting up 26 points, 1 assist, and 4 rebounds. The Cavs will look to bounce back and defend home in Game 3 on Saturday night.
