Scenes from winning one for Jalen Brunson

The New York Knicks (36-25) were underdogs heading into tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-21) at the Rocket Morgage FieldHouse. Sure, the Cavs were playing without Donovan Mitchell (knee) and Caris LeVert (elbow), but the Knicks were still missing three of their starters. The forecast grew even more grim when Jalen Brunson suffered a game-ending injury in the opening minute.

Undeterred, New York rallied and won the first quarter by nine points, thanks to solid three-point shooting. Cleveland flipped the script in the second to enter halftime up by one. After halftime, Donte DiVincenzo turned on the gas as the Knicks won the frame by 11, and our heroes held off a Darius Garland-driven rally in the fourth thanks to tireless defense. The Knicks won the season series 2-1 and the game, 107-98.

Cleveland got great shooting from Garland (five treys) and bench guy Sam Merrill (seven triples), and they recorded an assist on 31 of their 39 field goals. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 31 points and 20 rebounds. Their defense was sterling at times.

Didn’t matter. These Knicks were determined to win for Brunson, their wounded leader. Josh Hart matched his career-high of 19 rebounds, plus scored 13 points and 10 assists for his third triple-double of the season . . . and played 45 minutes. Deuce McBride played 47 minutes (!), scored 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting (4-of-9 from long), dished five dimes, and committed no turnovers. DiVincenzo led the Knicks with 28 points, Precious Achiuwa played his keister off, and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in 20 bench points. Even Jericho Sims was a +17. (We can talk about Alec Burks another time.)

‘Twas a thrilling statement win. So very undermanned, it took a massive team effort to hold off the second-best team in the East. Imagine how good these Knicks will be when whole again.

First Half

Less than a minute into the game, coming off a curl, Jalen Brunson suffered a mysterious knee and/or ankle injury. (A later, Zapruder-film-level study turned up possible evidence of Jalen bumping knees with a screening Isaiah Hartenstein earlier in the play.) A guy normally impervious to pain, Jalen couldn’t stand on his own accord. While escorted from the court, his ankle wobbled beneath him as if on a string.

By six minutes into the game, Cleveland had mounted a 10-2 run. After a timeout, the Knicks scored 11 unanswered points (including triples by Deuce McBride, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo). During that run, Cleveland’s Darius Garland twisted his ankle. He limped noticeably for the rest of the quarter. Tough night for point guards.

After their inauspicious start, the Knicks outscored the home team 21-7 and finished the quarter up, 28-19. It sure helped that New York had made six of their 11 three-point attempts while Cleveland fired a stinky 8-of-21 from the floor.

Early in the second, Alec Burks attacked Evan Mobley twice, drawing two fouls and putting the big Cavalier in foul trouble. Those were nice moments for AB; could’ve used a few more. Fellow bencher Bojan Bogdanović scored 10-second-period points. And Deuce continued to be spicy for New York, with trickery such as thisery:

Unfortunately, the Cavs dished and swished, putting together an 11-2 run. Donte DiVincenzo missed five straight shots. Fortunately, Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa were fully activated tonight, combining for 12 rebounds and six stocks, but Garland (what ankle?) swished a 29-foot three-pointer to give Cleveland a 53-51 advantage.

Cleveland’s Jarett Allen led all scorers with 13 points, while their Isaac Okoro (3-of-3) and Sam Merrill (4-of-6) were on fire from deep. The Cavs had outrebounded New York, 24-20. DiVincenzo had 12 points for New York, which missed all four of their second-quarter three-pointers. At halftime, the broadcast suggested that Brunson was “questionable” to return with a sore knee. Yeah, right.

Second Half

Coming out of intermission, the Knicks’ big men came up big as the team went on a 12-2 run. Precious Achiuwa scored eight points, including a rare three-pointer, and snagged one rebound and Isaiah Hartenstein scored a dunk, one assist, and one rebound.

Cleveland answered with a 9-0 stretch to tie the game at 64 midway through the frame. DiVincenzo had a cold second quarter, but his 16-third-quarter points helped New York right the ship. They galloped off to a 15-point lead, and they finished the period ahead, 87-78.

The Ohio Players hit three treys early in the fourth, but New York got clutch buckets to preserve their lead, including this bucket by Bogey. And the foul for a four-point play!

Garland was determined to pull out a win, scoring nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. He would make five of eight three-pointers overall. The Cavs closed their deficit to three at the two-minute mark, but Josh Hart (who never tires) drained a corner triple and Deuce McBride swished another to stick a big ol’ fork in this turkey.

Up Next

Back to MSG to face the Hawks on Tuesday. Love your heart, Knickerbockers. Safe travels.

Box Score