Cavaliers 124, Knicks 105: Scenes from first half elation, second half deflation.

After taking a 15 point lead, New York loses the second half by 26.

Last night in NYC, the New York Knicks (48-28) defeated the lowly Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. Less than 24 hours later, at Rocket Arena, they faced a much more challenging competitor in the Cleveland Cavaliers (61-15). Despite going ahead by 15 points in the first half and holding a lead at intermission, the Knickerbockers ran out of petrol and lost the second half by 26 points on their way to a 124-105 result.

Tonight’s tilt started brilliantly. Fervent defense forced Cleveland into four turnovers, and making 10 of their first 13 shots gave the Knicks a 10-point lead midway through the first. And there was no letdown! By the buzzer, New York had shot 70% from the field and 75% (6-of-8) from deep, while the Cavs had made 45% and 55%. The Ohio Players had out-rebounded the Knicks, though, which kept the Knicks’ lead to 34-28 by the break.

A 12-5 start to the second quarter gave our heroes their biggest lead yet. Then the Cavs trimmed it to 10 behind strong stretches from Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro, while our team coughed up the ball and missed shots. OG Anunoby would not abide such follies, however; he made practically anything he threw at the rim and promptly powered New York to a 15-point advantage. Late in the half, however, eight unanswered Cleveland points cut the score to 60-53 by halftime.

At intermission, New York had hit 60% of their shots and 10-of-21 from range. Anunoby topped all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from deep. For the Cavs, Mitchell had 11 points; Jarrett Allen had five boards, one headband.

Good vibes are shortlived in the NBA. To start Q3, Cleveland crept within two in under two minutes and, on an 11-2 run, Donovan Mitchell drilled a triple at the 7:45 mark for the lead. After shooting splendidly from deep, New York missed 10 of 11 and got very few second-chance attempts. As they fell behind by eight, my stomach went queasy. Yours, too? The indigestion eased when the Knicks tied the game at 83–83, thanks to clutch plays from Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa. But I needed the Rolaids again when Cleveland responded with another 8-0 stretch. Heading into the fourth, Spida was sizzling and New York was down 91-85.

In the final frame, OG was on E. His teammates seemed pretty ragged, too. They missed more three-pointers, lost 50/50 balls, and watched the Ohio Players go ahead by 21. The game was over early, and, according to Mike Breen working the ESPN broadcast, the loss marked the first time in 71 games that the Knicks had lost after taking a 15-point lead. I guess that’s some sort of consolation.

KAT finished with a 25-13 double-double, and OG scored 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Josh Hart added 19 points. Mikal Bridges took six shots for eight points. As for the Cavs, Mitchell finished with 27 points and Allen scored eight rebounds and 21 points. Here are two:

Up Next

Le maestro Miranda is composing a proper recap, and the Knicks travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Saturday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score