Game ID: 22300876
New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 19 34 25 20 98NYK 28 23 36 20 107
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 2/25 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 2/22, returns tonight: 36 min (101% of 36)
OUT Thompson missed 14 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Wade back 2/22 after 2, 12 min since (58% of 20)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/22 after 3, 5 min since (37% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 15 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Wade back 2/22 after 2, 11 min since (51% of 20)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/22 after 3, 5 min since (37% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 16 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 37 min since (104% of 36)
BACK Wade back 2/22 after 2, 10 min since (50% of 20)
CLE availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 2/27, returns tonight: 25 min (151% of 17)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 2/25, returns tonight: 11 min (90% of 13)
OUT Thompson missed 17 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 40 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Wade back 2/22 after 2, 11 min since (53% of 20)
CLE availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 18 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 40 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 25 min since (151% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 11 min since (90% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 2 since 3/01, returns tonight: 30 min (105% of 28)
OUT Thompson missed 19 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 27 min since (161% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 10 min since (78% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 20 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 30 min since (105% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 28 min since (168% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 9 min since (68% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 2 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 21 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 33 min since (116% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 26 min since (153% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 10 min since (80% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 5 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 3 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 2 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 22 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 33 min since (118% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 24 min since (144% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 9 min since (69% of 13)
NEW Allen 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 34 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/24 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 10 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 10 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 35 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 2/22 after 3, 11 min since (42% of 26)
BACK Sims back 2/12 after 3, 29 min since (234% of 12)
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 40 min over the last 4
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 18 to 27 min over the last 3
NEW Burks 15 to 21 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 2/26 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 11 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 11 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 36 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 2/22 after 3, 17 min since (67% of 26)
BACK Sims back 2/12 after 3, 25 min since (205% of 12)
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 37 min over the last 4
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 18 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Burks 15 to 20 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/27 · back-to-backOUT Randle missed 12 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 12 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 37 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 2/22 after 3, 21 min since (79% of 26)
BACK Sims back 2/12 after 3, 24 min since (197% of 12)
NEW Hart 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 38 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/29 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 13 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 13 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 38 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 2/22 after 3, 21 min since (79% of 26)
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 24 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/03 · 2 days' restOUT Randle missed 14 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Anunoby missed 14 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 39 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 2/22 after 3, 20 min since (78% of 26)
NEW Hart 35 to 43 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 15 since 1/29, not on tonight's roster
OUT Anunoby missed 15 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 40 since 12/11, out tonight
NEW Hart 35 to 43 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW McBride 21 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 22 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/08 · 2 days' restOUT Anunoby missed 16 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 41 since 12/11, out tonight
NEW Hart 35 to 44 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW McBride 21 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 18 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 24 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Anunoby missed 17 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 42 since 12/11, out tonight
NEW Hart 35 to 44 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW McBride 21 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 25 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Anunoby missed 18 since 1/29, returns tonight: 29 min (82% of 35)
OUT Robinson missed 43 since 12/11, out tonight
NEW Hart 35 to 44 min over the last 5
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Achiuwa 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW McBride 21 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Sims 12 to 24 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Garland at 19 a game. One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 110, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and DiVincenzo at 18 a game. Without Randle (14 straight), Anunoby (14 straight), Robinson (39 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 40 percent from three to New York's 35 and the glass, where New York has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-3. Call it Cleveland 113, New York 108.
2/25 @ WAS 114-105 — CLE notes
CLE won 114-105. CLE shot 51% (42 of 83) to WAS's 44%, 10 of 32 from three, and went to the line 27 times to WAS's 18 — 20 points from the stripe to their 13. Allen led with 22 (11 of 18); Mobley added 21, LeVert 18. The hinge was Q3, 32-26: a lead of 1 became 7. Garland was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/27 vs DAL 121-119 — CLE notes
CLE won 121-119. CLE shot 53% (44 of 83) to DAL's 53%, 20 of 40 from three. CLE turned it over 16 times to DAL's 5, and DAL turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 47-36 for them. Mitchell led with 31 (11 of 20, 7 of 11 from three); Strus added 21, Allen 19. The hinge was Q2, 37-32: CLE came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 4, and the lead reached 15. Niang was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/28 @ CHI 123-132 — CLE notes
CLE lost 123-132 in 2 overtimes. CLE shot 43% (45 of 104) to CHI's 40%, 22 of 54 from three, and got to the line 19 times to CHI's 38. The glass went 39-74 against them. Mobley led with 25 (11 of 17, 1 of 4 from three, 2 of 6 at the line); Garland added 23, Mitchell 19. Q1 was theirs, 32-23, but the other 5 periods went 109-91 against them. They led by as many as 12. Strus's -18 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/01 @ DET 110-100 — CLE notes
CLE won 110-100. CLE shot 40% (33 of 83) to DET's 37%, 18 of 41 from three. CLE turned it over 15 times to DET's 8, and DET turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 53-42 for them. Garland led with 29 (9 of 21, 8 of 12 from three); Mobley added 22, Strus 14. The hinge was Q1, 32-24: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 26. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/03 vs NYK 98-107 — CLE notes
CLE lost 98-107. CLE shot 45% (39 of 87) to NYK's 49%, 17 of 44 from three. Merrill led with 21 (7 of 13, 7 of 13 from three); Garland added 19, Allen 18. Q2 was theirs, 34-23, turning a 9-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 84-64 against them. Strus's -10 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/05 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Garland at 19 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight), LeVert (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 102, shooting 55 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Tatum at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and Cleveland minus-3 and the defense, Boston allowing 102 a night to Cleveland's 113. Call it Boston 117, Cleveland 111.
3/06 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Murray at 22 and Johnson at 18 a game. Without Young (5 straight), Okongwu (7 straight), Krejčí (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 44 from three, 17 free throws a game; Garland at 19 and Allen at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Mitchell (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 44 percent from three to Atlanta's 34 and the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-6. Call it Atlanta 114, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/08 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Garland at 20 and Eva. Mobley at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Strus (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Towns at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-9 and the line, where Minnesota takes 26 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17. Call it Cleveland 111, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
3/10 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 105, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Garland at 23 and Allen at 20 a game. Without Mitchell (5 straight), Strus (3 straight), Eva. Mobley (2 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Schröder at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Cam. Johnson (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-7. Call it Cleveland 113, Brooklyn 106.
2/24 vs BOS 102-116 — NYK notes
NYK lost 102-116. NYK shot 45% (37 of 82) to BOS's 57%, 13 of 38 from three. NYK turned it over 13 times to BOS's 7, and BOS turned those into 8 steals. Brunson led with 34 (12 of 25, 4 of 9 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Hart added 16, DiVincenzo 12. Q2 was theirs, 32-32, but the other 3 periods went 84-70 against them. Bogdanović's -14 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/26 vs DET 113-111 — NYK notes
NYK won 113-111. NYK shot 45% (41 of 92) to DET's 48%, 15 of 39 from three. Brunson led with 35 (11 of 26, 3 of 11 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Hart added 23, DiVincenzo 21. The hinge was Q3, 30-26: a lead of 4 became 8. Achiuwa was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
2/27 vs NOP 92-115 — NYK notes
NYK lost 92-115. NYK shot 37% (31 of 83) to NOP's 51%, 14 of 46 from three. DiVincenzo led with 23 (8 of 21, 7 of 18 from three); Bogdanović added 20, Hart 15. Q2 was theirs, 28-22, the deficit cut from 7 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 93-64 against them. McBride's -26 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/29 vs GSW 99-110 — NYK notes
NYK lost 99-110. NYK shot 37% (35 of 95) to GSW's 45%, 12 of 39 from three, and went to the line 24 times to GSW's 16 — 17 points from the stripe to their 8. Brunson led with 27 (11 of 25, 4 of 7 from three); DiVincenzo added 16, Hart 14. Q2 was theirs, 27-24, the deficit cut from 12 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them. Hartenstein's -18 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/03 @ CLE 107-98 — NYK notes
NYK won 107-98. NYK shot 49% (42 of 86) to CLE's 45%, 16 of 39 from three. DiVincenzo led with 28 (11 of 22, 6 of 14 from three); Bogdanović added 20, McBride 16. The hinge was Q3, 36-25: NYK came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 15. NYK trailed 51-53 at the half and won the second half 56-45. Sims was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
3/05 vs ATL — 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 110, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 24 and DiVincenzo at 20 a game. Without Randle (15 straight), Anunoby (15 straight), Robinson (40 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murray at 23 and Hunter at 17 a game. Without Young (4 straight), Okongwu (6 straight), Krejčí (5 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New York wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it New York 113, Atlanta 112, Atlanta keeping it close.
3/08 vs ORL — 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 102 a night and allowing 110, shooting 41 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; DiVincenzo at 22 and Brunson at 21 a game. Without Anunoby (16 straight), Robinson (41 straight). 2 days' rest. Orlando comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 95, shooting 55 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Banchero at 26 and F. Wagner at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Orlando has been plus-10 a night and New York minus-1 and the defense, Orlando allowing 95 a night to New York's 110. Call it Orlando 110, New York 106, New York keeping it close.
3/10 vs PHI — 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 99 a night and allowing 103, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 15 free throws a game; DiVincenzo at 20 and Brunson at 18 a game. Without Anunoby (17 straight), Robinson (42 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Oubre Jr. at 24 and Harris at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Maxey (3 straight), Embiid (17 straight), Melton (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 103 a night to Philadelphia's 112 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 20 free throws a game to New York's 15. Call it New York 111, Philadelphia 108, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/12 vs PHI — 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 95 a night and allowing 95, shooting 41 percent and 34 from three, 14 free throws a game; DiVincenzo at 18 and Brunson at 18 a game. Without Anunoby (18 straight), Robinson (43 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 104, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Oubre Jr. at 23 and Harris at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Maxey (4 straight), Embiid (18 straight), Melton (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-2 a night and Philadelphia minus-5 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 21 free throws a game to New York's 14. Call it New York 107, Philadelphia 105, Philadelphia keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
NYKAB A. Burks
BB B. Bogdanović
BO Bogdanovic
DD D. DiVincenzo
IH I. Hartenstein
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
JS J. Sims
MM M. McBride
PA P. Achiuwa
CLE/NYK 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
Knicks overcome losing All-Star Jalen Brunson with bruised knee, regroup to beat Cavaliers 107-98
CLEVELAND -- — One minute into the game, the New York Knicks had their season flash before their eyes.
Turns out, it was probably just a scare.
Josh Hart had a triple-double, Donte DiVincenzo scored 28 points and the Knicks regrouped after losing All-Star guard Jalen Brunson in the first minute with a left knee injury to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-98 on Sunday night.
Hart finished with 13 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in helping the Knicks cope for one night without Brunson, their latest starter to get hurt.
After the game, coach Tom Thibodeau said X-rays on Brunson's knee were negative.
“It’s a knee contusion," said a relaxed Thibodeau. "He bumped knees. That’s what happened. He got the X-rays, was examined by the doctor. Everything was negative. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
Hart and Miles McBride , who replaced Brunson and never came out, each made 3-pointers in the final 1:36 as New York held off the Cavs, who were within three at 101-98 on Evan Mobley 's dunk.
That's when Hart drilled his 3 in Mobley's face and made sure Cleveland's bench heard about it. Hart didn't repeat exactly what he said, but joked that he was simply complimenting good friend Donovan Mitchell 's expensive chain.
“I was just having fun,” Hart said.
Then following a steal by Hart, McBride drained a dagger 3-pointer to close out a game that began with Brunson being helped to the locker room after less than a minute of action. The Knicks, though, showed their toughness.
“When a guy goes down, you have to find a way,” Hart said. “We had to go out there and play our game.”
Brunson, who has been carrying the Knicks during a rash of key injuries, was hurt on New York's first possession.
Coming off a screen, Brunson rose for a jump shot near the foul line when he appeared to feel pain on lift off. He shot an air ball and landed before stumbling and dropping to the floor near the 3-point line.
Brunson stayed in a seated possession while play continued before getting up and limping to the sideline, where he again went down in obvious pain. The 27-year-old guard was helped to his feet and escorted to the locker room.
It wasn't immediately clear when Brunson got hurt. While he was not touched by Cleveland's Isaac Okoro on the jumper, replays showed Brunson bump knees with Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein early in the possession.
“You don't want to see anyone go down like that. He's one of the toughest guys in the league,” DiVincenzo said about Brunson. “I know he'll be ready to go.”
Bojan Bogdanovic added 20 points and McBride 16 in 47 turnover-free minutes.
Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen scored 18 apiece for the Cavs, who played without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (sore knee) and top sub Caris LeVert (sore elbow). Mobley had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
“We played in spurts,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We had a good second quarter. But to come out of halftime and give up 36 points to a team that was down as many guys as they were down, that’s disappointing defensively.”
“We’ve got to be better than that.”
Even before Brunson went down, both teams looked very different than in their playoff matchup last season, which New York won in five games.
While the Cavs were without Mitchell and LeVert, the Knicks didn't have three starters: All-Star forward Julius Randle (shoulder), center Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and guard O.G. Anunoby (elbow).
Brunson has been instrumental in New York staying in the playoff hurt while being short-handed and now the Knicks made need others to pick up the slack if he's out for an extended period.
“The thing about us is we're gritty,” DiVincenzo said. “We're collectively together. There's not one guy who wants to go out there and outshine anybody. That's our goal: win the game. It doesn't matter how we do it.”
Randle has been doing on-court workouts and he pushed himself hard during a pregame training session.
Thibodeau said Randle has made “very good progress” with one of the next being contact. Thibodeau indicated that surgery seems less likely.