Game ID: 22300112
New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 24 28 16 23 91NYK 28 30 28 23 109
CLE vs NYK ScoutingCLE vs NYK Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 10/25 · season opener
full strength
CLE availability going into 10/27 · 1 day's rest
full strength
CLE availability going into 10/28 · back-to-backOUT Merrill missed 2 since 10/25, returns tonight: 6 min (35% of 17)
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 10/25, returns tonight: 8 min (78% of 11)
CLE availability going into 10/31 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 2 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 6 min since (35% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 8 min since (78% of 11)
NEW Strus 33 to 40 min over the last 3
NEW LeVert 28 to 36 min over the last 3
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 11/01 · back-to-backOUT Garland missed 3 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 10 min since (59% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 14 min since (126% of 11)
NEW Strus 33 to 38 min over the last 4
NEW LeVert 28 to 36 min over the last 3
NEW Wade 20 to 27 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 11/03 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 4 since 10/27, returns tonight: 32 min (95% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 10 min since (59% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 13 min since (123% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 11/05 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 11/01, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 17)
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 32 min since (95% of 34)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 11 min since (99% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 11/08 · 2 days' restOUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 11/03, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/03 after 4, 31 min since (92% of 34)
BACK Merrill back 10/28 after 2, 7 min since (41% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 10/28 after 2, 11 min since (100% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 10/25 · season opener
full strength
NYK availability going into 10/27 · 1 day's rest
full strength
NYK availability going into 10/28 · back-to-backOUT McBride missed 2 since 10/25, returns tonight: 4 min (22% of 21)
OUT Fournier missed 2 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 10/25, returns tonight: 4 min (37% of 12)
NYK availability going into 10/31 · 2 days' restOUT Fournier missed 3 since 10/25, out tonight
BACK McBride back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (22% of 21)
BACK Sims back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (37% of 12)
NEW Robinson 24 to 30 min over the last 3
NYK availability going into 11/01 · back-to-backOUT Fournier missed 4 since 10/25, out tonight
BACK McBride back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (21% of 21)
BACK Sims back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (30% of 12)
NYK availability going into 11/03 · 1 day's restOUT Fournier missed 5 since 10/25, out tonight
BACK McBride back 10/28 after 2, 6 min since (29% of 21)
BACK Sims back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (30% of 12)
NYK availability going into 11/06 · 2 days' restOUT Barrett missed 2 since 11/01, returns tonight: 31 min (104% of 30)
OUT Fournier missed 6 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK McBride back 10/28 after 2, 5 min since (24% of 21)
NEW Robinson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Grimes 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Fournier missed 7 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 3 since 11/01, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 12)
BACK Barrett back 11/06 after 2, 31 min since (104% of 30)
BACK McBride back 10/28 after 2, 5 min since (24% of 21)
NEW Robinson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
10/25 @ BKN 114-113 — CLE notes
CLE won 114-113. CLE shot 47% (44 of 94) to BKN's 50%, 17 of 43 from three, and got to the line 10 times to BKN's 26. CLE turned it over 10 times to BKN's 17. The glass went 38-50 against them. Strus led with 27 (9 of 17, 7 of 13 from three); Mitchell added 27, Okoro 18. The hinge was Q1, 37-32: from level to 5 ahead. Strus was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
10/27 vs OKC 105-108 — CLE notes
CLE lost 105-108. CLE shot 41% (38 of 92) to OKC's 46%, 12 of 45 from three. CLE turned it over 13 times to OKC's 18. Mitchell led with 43 (15 of 27, 4 of 11 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); LeVert added 17, Mobley 14. Q3 was theirs, 33-27, the deficit cut from 10 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 81-72 against them. They led by as many as 10.
10/28 vs IND 113-125 — CLE notes
CLE lost 113-125. CLE shot 43% (43 of 99) to IND's 49%, 12 of 31 from three, and went to the line 24 times to IND's 17 — 15 points from the stripe to their 14. Mobley led with 33 (12 of 22, 8 of 10 at the line); LeVert added 31, Strus 21. Q3 was theirs, 38-31, the deficit cut from 11 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 94-75 against them. They led by as many as 15. Niang's -16 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/31 vs NYK 91-109 — CLE notes
CLE lost 91-109. CLE shot 39% (36 of 92) to NYK's 44%, 10 of 38 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 19 fouls committed. Mitchell led with 26 (11 of 20, 0 of 3 from three); Okoro added 11, Niang 11. Q4 was theirs, 23-23, but the other 3 periods went 86-68 against them. E. Mobley's -19 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/05 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 34 and LeVert at 20 a game. Without Merrill (2 straight). One day's rest. Golden State comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Curry at 32 and Thompson at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Podziemski (2 straight), Jackson-Davis (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Golden State at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 31 and the glass, where Golden State has been plus-5 a night and Cleveland minus-1. Call it Golden State 113, Cleveland 109, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/08 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 122, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Holmgren at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and LeVert at 18 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-0 a night and OKC minus-8 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to OKC's 122. Call it OKC 115, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
10/25 vs BOS 104-108 — NYK notes
NYK lost 104-108. NYK took 20 more shots (97 to 77), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 37% to BOS's 48%, 18 of 41 from three. Barrett led with 24 (8 of 20, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Quickley added 24, Brunson 15. Q2 was theirs, 28-21, the deficit cut from 12 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 87-76 against them. Randle's -13 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/27 @ ATL 126-120 — NYK notes
NYK won 126-120. NYK shot 48% (43 of 90) to ATL's 48%, 20 of 44 from three. Brunson led with 31 (11 of 21, 8 of 12 from three); Barrett added 26, Randle 17. The hinge was Q1, 35-31: from level to 4 ahead. Brunson was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
10/28 @ NOP 87-96 — NYK notes
NYK lost 87-96. NYK shot 37% (33 of 90) to NOP's 46%, 7 of 37 from three. NYK turned it over 18 times to NOP's 13, and NOP turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 59-43 for them. Barrett led with 18 (7 of 16, 1 of 6 from three); Brunson added 14, Randle 10. Q3 was theirs, 31-22, the deficit cut from 18 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 74-56 against them. Barrett's -15 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/31 @ CLE 109-91 — NYK notes
NYK won 109-91. NYK shot 44% (38 of 86) to CLE's 39%, 13 of 34 from three, and went to the line 25 times to CLE's 12 — 20 points from the stripe to their 9. Brunson led with 19 (7 of 16, 1 of 3 from three); Randle added 19, Quickley 18. The hinge was Q3, 28-16: a lead of 6 became 18, and the lead reached 23. Brunson was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
11/06 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 102, shooting 41 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Barrett at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Barrett (2 straight). 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; George at 29 and Leonard at 23 a game. 4 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 42 percent from three to New York's 30 and the glass, where New York has been plus-8 a night and the Clippers plus-1. Call it the Clippers 111, New York 107, New York keeping it close.
11/08 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 98, shooting 40 percent and 27 from three, 23 free throws a game; Brunson at 22 and Barrett at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 127, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Vassell at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Vassell (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 98 a night to San Antonio's 127 and the glass, where New York has been plus-11 a night and San Antonio minus-5. Call it New York 116, San Antonio 105, New York by 11.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NYKDD D. DiVincenzo
DJ D. Jeffries
DW D. Windler
IH I. Hartenstein
IQ I. Quickley
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
JR J. Randle
JS J. Sims
MM M. McBride
MR M. Robinson
QG Q. Grimes
RA R. Arcidiacono
RB R. Barrett
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DJ D. Jones
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EB E. Bates
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IM I. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
MS M. Strus
PO Porter
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
NYK/CLE the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson score 19 points apiece as the Knicks beat the Cavaliers 109-91
CLEVELAND -- — Julius Randle had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 19 points and the New York Knicks did not trail in the final three quarters of a 109-91 victory over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Immanuel Quickley added 18 points off the bench and RJ Barrett had 16 as the Knicks won the first half of a home-and-home series. It was the teams’ first meeting since New York eliminated Cleveland in five games in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
“It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, that’s all history,” Brunson said. “The only advantage is when you get back to playing certain teams, you can lean on certain tendencies against them.”
New York native Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points in 29 minutes, and Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang had 11 points apiece for the Cavaliers, who have lost three straight and are 0-3 at home. Cleveland is 2-8 against the Knicks since the start of last season.
Mitchell, who is averaging team highs of 32.0 points and 4.7 assists, returned after sitting out a 125-113 loss to the Pacers with a sore right hamstring Saturday. The four-time All-Star was hurt in a 108-105 home loss to Oklahoma City one night earlier.
“We had to make it as hard on him as we could,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You want to have a strategy for everybody. That’s why you shouldn’t pace yourself. When that ball goes up, you’ve got to be ready to go.”
The injury-plagued Cavaliers were without point guard Darius Garland (left hamstring strain) for the third straight game and have not had center Jarrett Allen (left ankle bone bruise) in uniform this season. Top reserve Caris LeVert also did not play (left hamstring soreness), nor did backup point guard Ty Jerome (right ankle sprain).
“It’s tough because we’re missing a bunch of guys, but you can’t dwell on it because we have to come back tomorrow and do it again,” Mitchell said. “I’m never one to make excuses.”
Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he hoped that Allen “is doing more and more work and hopefully will be back soon,” but doesn’t have a return date targeted.
“It’s hit us at a tough time, obviously,” Bickerstaff said. “Our approach is no different, but you have to accept the results of the situation.”
Isaiah Hartenstein had 13 points and seven rebounds, and fellow center Mitchell Robinson added eight points and seven boards for New York. The Knicks are 2-1 on the road and 2-2 overall.
“The luxury that we have is we have two great bigs (Randle and Robinson) and any night, one of them can step up,” Hartenstein said. “My job is just to be ready every night.”
Cavaliers undrafted rookie Craig Porter scored 10 points and Evan Mobley collected six points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Draft pick Emoni Bates had nine points and six rebounds.
“You do what you have to do to ramp a guy up for NBA basketball,” Bickerstaff said. “This is what is expected.”
UP NEXT
The teams complete their back-to-back set Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.