Despite the game becoming meaningless more than halfway through, the New York Knicks wanted to still grab a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday to make a statement heading into the playoffs. Unfortunately, they blew a 23-point lead and fell short of claiming victory by a score of 108-102. New York falls to 50-31 on the year and Cleveland improves to 64-17.
The Knicks once again blew a double-digit lead
The Knicks held a 23-point lead in the second quarter and entered the fourth quarter up by eight. By then, New York had officially clinched the third seed in the East thanks to the Pacers losing to the Magic, so the game became meaningless.
Despite that, both teams continued to play most of their starters and tried to come through with the win. However, New York’s defense let up in the fourth quarter, as they were outscored 30-16 in the closing period.
Darius Garland caught fire down the stretch, scoring 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter on perfect 6-for-6 shooting. He also finished with 13 assists on the night despite the Cavaliers resting Donovan Mitchell and De’Andre Hunter.
New York had no answer on offense, as their shots consistently came up short. They made just 12 shots in the entire second half after making 15 in the first quarter alone. Despite the game not having an impact on the standings, the way they closed the game was certainly alarming with the playoffs on the horizon.
Landry Shamet continues to be a positive bench spark
A strong takeaway from this game is the impact of Landry Shamet, whose hot stretch of play continued against Cleveland. In 21 minutes off the bench, Shamet scored 15 points and shot 5-for-11 from outside the arc.
The veteran guard has found his shot at the perfect time and could be an important bench piece in the postseason. Over his last 10 games, Shamet is averaging 9.9 points and is shooting 47.5% from three, and he has quickly become that lethal three-point shooter off the bench the Knicks were hoping he’d be.
New York will need big contributions from their bench players during the postseason, and Shamet may have played his way into a key role. It’s unclear who head coach Tom Thibodeau will boot from the rotation in the playoffs, but Shamet should see the floor a lot more after his recent stretch of play.
Overview
The Knicks’ latest defeats have been far from encouraging, and with only one game left before the playoffs, they will head into the playoffs needing to turn things around. They will close out the regular season on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets on the road.