The New York Knicks survived a scare and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-98. The Knicks lost Jalen Brunson early but scrapped their way to victory.
The New York Knicks survived a scare and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-98. Jalen Brunson left the game in the first minute of action, leaving an already limited group to scrap their way to a win.
The Knicks rushed out to a quick lead, galvanized by the loss of Brunson. But Cleveland fought back to take a modest lead before halftime. New York made another strong push in the third quarter to regain the lead, and the teams spent most of the fourth quarter trading baskets with Deuce McBride and Josh Hart stepping up in the clutch.
Speaking of stepping up, some players barely sat to ensure this victory. Deuce played 47 minutes, Hart played 45, and Donte DiVincenzo ran for 39 minutes. “Gritty” doesn’t do justice in describing how hard these players fought to get the win.
Let’s zoom in on the individual performances and shout out some of the heroes.
The Knicks’ starters step up after Brunson goes down
Jalen Brunson: 0 PTS (0/1 FG) in 1 mins
Jalen Brunson grabbed his knee after his first shot attempt of the night. You could hear a collective gasp from the entire Knicks’ fanbase as he was helped into the locker room. But we got good news as tests on the knee came back negative, and the official injury is listed as a contusion.
Donte DiVincenzo: 28 PTS (11/22 FG, 6/14 3PT), 4 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 39 mins
Donte DiVincenzo picked up the scoring load in Brunson’s absence. He continued to turn the slightest openings into three-point attempts and hit those challenging shots at impressive efficiency. DiVo’s touch around the basket was back, as he made some impressive finishes when defenders chased him over screens. The Cavs couldn’t stop him.
I could compliment DiVincenzo for his playmaking or rebounding, but let’s focus on his defense. With Deuce McBride guarding Darius Garland, DiVo was free to run wild. The Big Ragu was disruptive throughout the action, picking pockets and shooting passing lanes. He flew in as a help-defender for his sole block in the action.
When Brunson first went down, DiVincenzo was the player to pick up the slack. The team easily could have gone shell-shocked, but DiVo made play after play to instill confidence. He shredded the Cavs defense with shots, layups, and dimes. DiVo gets a 4.5 out of 5 for a brilliant performance.
Josh Hart: 13 PTS (5/12 FG, 3/6 3PT), 10 AST, 19 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TO in 45 mins
As much as I praised DiVincenzo’s performance, Josh Hart has an equal case for being the most impactful player of the night. He hit the most important shots of the fourth quarter, grabbed a ridiculous 19 rebounds, and completed the triple-double with ten dimes.
Hart seemed to grab every available defensive rebound and frequently pushed the pace to pick out teammates before the Cavs could set their defense. The rest of his dimes came from weak-side drive-and-kicks. But this is a rare case where Hart’s biggest moments came as a shooter, with him hitting “nail in the coffin” threes and grabbing Donovan Mitchell’s (DNP) chain in celebration.
Hart is the Iron Man of the Knicks, playing 40+ minutes in seven of the past eight games. He’s averaging 40 mpg in the past 15 and somehow seems to be getting better. This man has 37 rebounds in the past two games, and every play counted as he helped New York win in Cleveland. Hart gets a 5 out of 5 for his triple-double.
Precious Achiuwa: 14 PTS (6/8 FG, 1/1 3PT, 1/3 FT), 4 REB, 2 STL, 3 BLK, 2 TO in 22 mins
Precious Achiuwa put together a strong night, playing in his more comfortable position at PF. He didn’t force the issue on any plays, which has dogged his recent performances. He took what the defense gave him and let the Knicks’ ball-handlers find him for easy looks at the rim.
Precious’ defensive presence loomed large over the proceedings. The Cavs’ frontline is formidable, and Precious did well to challenge Evan Mobley throughout the night. I’m not mad about Achiuwa’s limited rebounding because he did well to clear space for teammates on most occasions.
Precious seemed to lose efficacy after he moved to the five due to injuries to others. He was still good, but it’s clear that he’s a natural four. This performance is a nice reminder of his contributions when locked in. Achiuwa gets a 3.5 out of 5 for letting the game come to him.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 8 PTS (4/7 FG), 8 AST, 7 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 23 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein put that extra day of rest to good use. He looked less stiff, and the extra mobility allowed him to piece together a strong all-around game despite a seeming minutes-limit.
This looked like vintage I-Hart, sweeping across the lane to receive the ball and create from post positions. He finished most of his touches in the paint despite battling with the Cavs’ gigantic front line. It’s nothing new, but we haven’t seen him move this well since before the All-Star Break.
It feels like Hartenstein’s getting his legs back. But we’ll have to see if this mobility and strength carries over to the next few games or if he gradually slows down. I-Hart gets a 3.5 out of 5 for a strong game, accentuated by his great passing.
New York’s second unit makes a positive impact
Miles McBride: 16 PTS (6/15 FG, 4/9 3PT), 5 AST, 1 REB in 47 mins
The Unsung Hero Award goes to Miles McBride. Deuce entered the game about 40 seconds into the action and never sat again. He leaned on DiVincenzo and Hart for help with ball-handling and playmaking, but provided plenty himself. Some of McBride’s best moments came as he took defenders off the dribble to get jumpers off or find an open teammate.
If the ankle-breaking crossover wasn’t enough, McBride also knocked down clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter. There’s some clutch to his game.
But Deuce’s biggest contribution was defending Darius Garland for nearly all of his time out there. Garland is an elite ball-handler and shooter who played 40 minutes, and McBride clung to him all game. Deuce never slowed down or let up and set the tone for a great defensive performance by the team. McBride gets a 4 out of 5 for stepping up.
Alec Burks: 8 PTS (2/6 FG, 1/3 3PT, 3/4 FT), 1 AST, 1 REB in 11 mins
Alec Burks showed some signs of improvement in limited minutes. He attacked downhill more often and worked his way to the free-throw line for some easy points. He needs to get those easy opportunities because his jumper has been erratic since arriving.
But that jumper remained erratic, as he missed some open shots at distance. Even with Brunson out, Burks only received 11 minutes of playing time. That doesn’t bode well for his role with Shake Milton on the way.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 20 PTS (8/15 FG, 1/6 3PT, 3/3 FT), 3 AST, 3 REB, 3 TO in 30 mins
Bojan Bogdanovic attacked every switch and mismatch he got. He posted up shorter defenders and shot over them. When big men tried to stay with him, he used face-up drives to get to the rim. The only thing that didn’t work for Bojan was his jumper, as he missed a pair of potential game-busting threes in the fourth.
Bojan’s passing has caught my eye in recent games. He has a knack for turning downhill attacks into bounce passes to the dunker’s spot. It adds a nice dimension to his offense that leans heavily on scoring otherwise.
Nights like this remind us that Bogie’s going to be just fine. He can fill it up when he’s feeling it, and the Knicks needed his scoring in Brunson’s absence. Bogdanovic gets a 3.5 out of 5 for giving the bench a scoring boost.
Jericho Sims: 0 PTS (0 FGA), 1 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK in 21 mins
For the second time in five games, Jericho Sims played long minutes without getting a field goal attempt up. It’s frustrating to watch because he’s so physically imposing in other areas of the game.
Sims had an undeniable defensive impact, effectively blocking shots and chasing ball-handlers around. His drop coverage is fun to watch. Watch how much ground he covers in the clip below to get the block, and he sprints back on offense to pick up a DHO assist. Most big men can’t move like that.
Sims has untapped potential, and this is the tip of the iceberg. If he can learn to be more imposing as an offensive presence, keeping him in a third-string role will be hard. Sims gets a 2.5 out of 5 for imposing his size on this game, even without taking a shot.
Tom Thibodeau’s situation gets even more complicated
If Tom Thibodeau’s job was hard with the entire starting frontcourt injured, it will only be trickier if Jalen Brunson misses any time. But I continue to marvel at how much fight Thibodeau has instilled in his players. They never shrunk after Brunson’s injury; as a matter of fact, they rallied. I won’t police the minutes’ distributions, given the circumstances. This game could have swung any time, but Thibodeau kept his guys locked in.
Closing Thoughts:
It sounds like we dodged a bullet with Jalen Brunson’s knee. I’d just written about how close we were to getting players back, so Brunson’s hobbled trip to the locker room made me panic. But it sounds like he’s okay, and the rest of the injured Knicks are making strides toward returning.
The home stretch is approaching, and the Knicks have tough but winnable games over the next two weeks. But it will take all hands on deck to make the most of this opportunity to gain ground and cement their position in the top four. Two matchups with the Sixers loom large, so hopefully, Brunson is back and maybe a reinforcement or two.
Wins like this are great reminders of the Knicks’ resilience. This season could have sunk a team with a weaker mindset. They have every excuse to fold under the weight of all these injuries. But these Knicks aren’t going away, and this adversity only makes them scarier if and when they finally reach full health.
The Hawks are next in a game that should be winnable if New York has enough healthy bodies to play 48 minutes. We can discuss it here after the action. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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