The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-116. We got a playoff preview with a duel between Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell.
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The New York Knicks outplayed the Cleveland Cavaliers and defeated them 130-116. This game was thrilling because it was a potential preview of the first round of the playoffs. Both teams sought to send a message, with Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell leading the way. The guards dueled throughout the action while teammates took their queue by providing ample support on offense.
Playoff intensity filled the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, but playoff-quality defense didn’t show up until the fourth quarter. The teams dueled back and forth for most of three quarters, but the Knicks’ defense held Cleveland to 14 in the final quarter of the matchup. As a result, New York closed with a double-digit lead and took the regular season series 3-1.
New York survived without Julius Randle and sent a message to a likely first-round rival. Now let’s see how they took down the Cavs.
A superstar performance as Jalen Brunson leads New York’s starters
Jalen Brunson: 48 PTS (18/32 FG, 7/12 3PT, 5/8 FT), 9 AST, 4 REB, 2 TO in 38 mins
Jalen Brunson scored more points than any Knick point guard in the last 60 years. And New York needed every bit of his 48 points to keep up with a ridiculous performance from Donovan Mitchell. It felt like a tit-for-tat between the two from the opening tip. But Brunson was better, scoring more, with more assists and fewer turnovers.
The Cavs threw everything but the kitchen sink at the second-generation Knick, but nothing could stop him. He’d pull up from three on one possession and beat his man off the dribble next. Brunson augmented his scoring with a healthy dose of clever dimes to cutters and shooters alike. Again, no one was stopping him.
Jalen plays like a kid that grew up surrounded by the 90’s Knicks. He led the offense throughout the night and still had the guts to take a charge from the much bigger Cedi Osman in the fourth. It’s the first time he’s looked like himself in a few weeks, just in time for the playoffs. Brunson gets the easiest 5 out of 5 that I’ve given all year.
Quentin Grimes: 14 PTS (4/9 FG, 3/8 3PT, 3/3 FT), 2 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL in 36 mins
The Quentin Grimes hot streak from three continued, as he knocked down 3 of 8 attempts. He isn’t hesitating to fire even with closeouts approaching. He didn’t attack the paint as often as usual, but that’s because he had enough space to punish Cleveland’s defense frequently from deep.
Grimes stayed in front of challenging assignments throughout the night. But even as he stood in front of Mitchell’s grill, the superstar knocked down jumpers. Fortunately, that never deterred Grimes, who continued to chase, prod, and Mitchell at every turn.
The fast pace and wide spacing played into Grimes’ skillset. He knocked down jumpers and contributed playmaking and rebounding in smaller doses. His defense was good, though it ran into better offense. Grimes gets a 3 out of 5 for his work.
RJ Barrett: 14 PTS (6/17 FG, 2/7 3PT), 1 AST, 7 REB, 2 TO in 30 mins
The energy of the matchup seemed to get to RJ Barrett. Throughout the action, he played sloppy basketball, missing bunnies, and open jumpers. His worst offenses came in transition, where he forced the issue and made poor decisions despite advantages in numbers. That boiled over when he and Obi Toppin had to be separated during a timeout.
But Barrett quickly walked over and made peace with Toppin. He continued to press but found room for 5 points while the fourth quarter was still close. Nevertheless, RJ deserves credit for getting after rebounds and contributing outside of scoring.
Barrett’s slumping right now, averaging 35 percent from the field over the last four games. He’s a streaky player, and this cold streak follows one of his best 10-game stretches of the season. But with Randle injured, this is a time for RJ to step up, and I wonder if that contributed to some of his pressing against Cleveland. As a result, the Canadian earned a 1.5 out of 5 for a tough night.
Obi Toppin: 12 PTS (5/7 FG, 2/2 3PT), 1 AST, 1 REB in 19 mins
Obi Toppin stepped in and made an admirable contribution with Julius Randle out. He hit both his three-pointers and frequently raced up the floor in transition. The former first-rounder could have done more damage, but players missed him on those breakaways. Toppin’s half-court success came by attacking smaller players on the switch.
But Toppin only played 19 minutes despite starting. That’s because his contributions were slim everywhere else. A single assist and rebound won’t cut it for a starting power forward. His defense was only notable when he missed a rotation or gave up a backdoor cut.
We know that Toppin can score, but to demand more minutes, he’ll have to do everything else better. So Obi gets a 2 out of 5 for a decent start.
Mitchell Robinson: 10 PTS (4/5 FG, 2/3 FT), 1 AST, 14 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK,1 TO in 22 mins
Mitchell Robinson is too strong for Evan Mobley. Cleveland desperately missed Jarrett Allen as Mitch feasted on the boards whenever he played. The big man looked incredibly dominant in the third quarter, grabbing boards for putbacks and earning free throws.
As if his double-double weren’t enough, Robinson also put together a gem on defense. He swatted Darius Garland in the first quarter and pinned a Donovan Mitchell lay-up in the third. On top of that, Blockinson added a pair of steals as well. The only factor limiting his minutes was Isaiah Hartenstein’s fantastic performance. Mitch gets a 3.5 out of 5 for the night.
Another gem for the Hart foundation
Miles McBride: 2 PTS (1/1 FG), 1 AST in 10 mins
Miles McBride entered the rotation in Julius Randle’s absence. His entry set up a small ball second unit, though only for brief portions of the action. McBride handled the minutes well, with quality defense and an excellent cut to add 2 points in the fourth quarter. But he didn’t play long enough to carry a significant impact.
Immanuel Quickley: 14 PTS (5/16 FG, 2/6 3PT, 2/3 FT), 4 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 30 mins
Immanuel Quickley had an off night for the first time in a while. He found his spots on the floor, but everything seemed to rim out. Even his turnovers felt out of place as he stepped out of bounds rushing a possession up the floor.
IQ’s shaky offense still included bright spots. He handled playmaking well, even when Brunson shared the floor. Those moments of creating gave Brunson a chance to catch his breath and kept Cleveland’s defense from piling everything against the starting point.
Lastly, Quick’s defensive work shows in his rebounding and one steal. He deflected passes and chased scorers around. So, an off night for IQ still turned into a solid performance in terms of impact. Quickley receives a 2.5 out of 5 for the night.
Josh Hart: 11 PTS (4/4 FG, 1/1 3PT, 2/3 FT), 1 AST, 7 REB in 29 mins
Old reliable entered the game and hit a three-pointer before getting to work like he always does. Josh Hart shot perfectly from the field and moved the ball well despite only notching 1 assist. He showed off his usual mix of athletic finishes inside, including a fadeaway jumper from close.
Hart’s defense and rebounding never disappoint. He seemed to stay a step closer to Donovan Mitchell than any other defender, Grimes included. Of his 7 rebounds, 6 came on the defensive glass.
It’s clockwork with this guy. Josh Hart continuously checks in and makes a positive impact. He’s always around the ball, playing with a reckless abandon that works. As a result, Hart gets a 3.5 out of 5 for the night.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 5 PTS (2/2 FG, 1/4 FT), 4 AST, 8 REB, 2 STL, 3 BLK in 26 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein threw a perfect lead pass to Miles McBride in the fourth quarter, giving me a momentary flashback of Joakim Noah. Hartenstein’s passing and playmaking tore holes in the Cavs’ defense all game long. He dealt dimes from the top of the key facing up and the elbows at the pinch post.
However, Big Hart’s defense was even better than his passing. He stepped up to challenge even Donovan Mitchell at the rim, and disrupted entry passes into the post. For most of the game, the Cavs had trouble passing into the post against him causing Evan Mobley to stop attacking Hartenstein directly. If you don’t believe me, go back to the fourth quarter and watch how often Mobley gets the ball close and looks to pass instead of challenging Hartenstein. Mobley turned squeamish!
I can’t gush enough about the value of New York’s defensive Center tandem. The pair managed 9 Stocks across 48 shared minutes. Mitchell Robinson was great, but Hartenstein was brilliant. Best of all, they can both expend full energy knowing that a quality player will spell them. Hartenstein gets a 4 out of 5 for a fantastic performance, 4.5 if he’d hit his free throws.
Small-ball continues to work for Tom Thibodeau
You’re not dreaming; the subheading is true. Tom Thibodeau deployed a heavy dose of small ball with great success. Obi Toppin was the only true power forward to play in this game, and he got 19 minutes.
RJ Barrett and Josh Hart played de facto power forwards, and it worked. Defensive rotations were crisp and tight. Barrett found most of his offensive success in the small ball lineup’s wider spacing. That spacing helped the Knicks as a whole shoot 47 percent from three.
I don’t have much else on Thibodeau’s decisions in the game. The most significant choice was his rotation change in Randle’s absence. Other than that, separating RJ and Obi was his biggest contribution. Thibs gets a 4 out of 5 for finally going small.
Closing Thoughts
As excited as I am, I’m glad the playoffs are two weeks away. That gives Julius Randle time to recover, and New York will need him. Donovan Mitchell gave us a glimpse at the types of challenges that await in the playoffs. Stars can lock in and become unstoppable for a full 48 minutes. The Knicks might have been in trouble if it weren’t for Jalen Brunson.
But Brunson can’t always shoulder the burden of the offense. We’ve seen players like IQ, Grimes, and Barrett step up at times when Brunson was hurt. But the most reliable scorer on this entire team is Julius Randle.
New York’s magic number is down to 1. They have four chances to lock in playoff position, and I feel confident they’ll get there. The Wizards are next, barely clinging to hopes for a play-in spot. Let’s see how the Knicks deal with a desperate opponent because this will be as close to an elimination game as the regular season gets.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out CP and Alex to discuss how the Knicks will survive without Julius Randle!
