Game ID: 22401103
New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 28 25 38 33 124NYK 34 26 25 20 105
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 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 13 since 2/28, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/16 after 2, 31 min since (97% of 32)
CLE availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 14 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 3/28 · back-to-backOUT Tomlin missed 15 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Jerome missed 2 since 3/27, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 16 since 2/28, out tonight
CLE availability going into 4/02 · 2 days' restOUT Jerome missed 3 since 3/27, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 17 since 2/28, returns tonight: 2 min (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restOUT Jerome missed 4 since 3/27, out tonight
BACK Tomlin back 4/02 after 17, 2 min since (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/06 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 4/02, returns tonight: 4 min (17% of 20)
OUT Jerome missed 5 since 3/27, returns tonight: 23 min (116% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/02 after 17, 2 min since (17% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 2 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 4 min since (17% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 23 min since (116% of 20)
CLE availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 3 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 22 min since (111% of 20)
NYK availability going into 3/26 · back-to-backOUT Brunson missed 9 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 3 since 3/20, out tonight
BACK Wright back 3/19 after 3, 3 min since (19% of 14)
NEW Payne 14 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Shamet 14 to 20 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Brunson missed 10 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 3 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 4 since 3/20, out tonight
BACK Wright back 3/19 after 3, 6 min since (42% of 14)
NEW Payne 14 to 22 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Brunson missed 11 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 4 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 5 since 3/20, out tonight
BACK Wright back 3/25 after 2, 15 min since (110% of 14)
NEW Payne 14 to 23 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 4/01 · 1 day's restOUT Brunson missed 12 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 5 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 6 since 3/20, out tonight
OUT Payne missed 2 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Wright back 3/25 after 2, 20 min since (145% of 14)
NYK availability going into 4/02 · back-to-backOUT Brunson missed 13 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 6 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 7 since 3/20, out tonight
OUT Payne missed 3 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Wright back 3/25 after 2, 23 min since (164% of 14)
NEW Shamet 14 to 22 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/05 · 2 days' restOUT Brunson missed 14 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 7 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 8 since 3/20, out tonight
OUT Payne missed 4 since 3/28, returns tonight: 22 min (155% of 14)
NEW Wright 14 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Shamet 14 to 24 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/06 · back-to-backOUT Brunson missed 15 since 3/07, returns tonight: 34 min (96% of 36)
OUT McBride missed 8 since 3/22, returns tonight: 16 min (67% of 24)
OUT Robinson missed 2 since 4/02, returns tonight: 13 min (67% of 19)
OUT Tucker missed 9 since 3/20, out tonight
BACK Payne back 4/05 after 4, 22 min since (155% of 14)
NEW Wright 14 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Shamet 14 to 26 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 10 since 3/20, out tonight
BACK Brunson back 4/06 after 15, 34 min since (96% of 36)
BACK McBride back 4/06 after 8, 16 min since (67% of 24)
BACK Robinson back 4/06 after 2, 13 min since (67% of 19)
BACK Payne back 4/05 after 4, 18 min since (126% of 14)
NEW Wright 14 to 32 min over the last 4
NEW Shamet 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Achiuwa missed 2 since 4/06, returns tonight: 40 min (215% of 18)
OUT Tucker missed 11 since 3/20, returns tonight: 27 min (172% of 16)
OUT Wright missed 2 since 4/06, returns tonight: 13 min (94% of 14)
BACK Brunson back 4/06 after 15, 36 min since (102% of 36)
BACK McBride back 4/06 after 8, 18 min since (77% of 24)
BACK Robinson back 4/06 after 2, 14 min since (75% of 19)
BACK Payne back 4/05 after 4, 16 min since (119% of 14)
NEW Shamet 14 to 22 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 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Allen at 19 a game. Without Jerome (3 straight). 2 days' rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 106, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Anunoby at 30 and Bridges at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Brunson (13 straight), McBride (6 straight), Tucker (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 106 a night to Cleveland's 115 and the line, where Cleveland takes 25 free throws a game to New York's 19. Call it Cleveland 118, New York 112.
3/25 @ POR 122-111 — CLE notes
CLE won 122-111. CLE shot 55% (48 of 88) to POR's 40%, 12 of 27 from three. Garland led with 27 (11 of 19, 1 of 3 from three); Jerome added 25, Mobley 21. The hinge was Q2, 27-19: from level to 8 ahead. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +8.
3/27 vs SAS 124-116 — CLE notes
CLE won 124-116. CLE shot 46% (46 of 99) to SAS's 41%, 17 of 48 from three. Allen led with 29 (10 of 11, 9 of 11 at the line); Mitchell added 25, Strus 18. The hinge was Q1, 30-24: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/28 @ DET 122-133 — CLE notes
CLE lost 122-133. CLE shot 46% (39 of 84) to DET's 48%, 15 of 40 from three. Mitchell led with 38 (12 of 24, 3 of 8 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Garland added 21, Hunter 11. Q4 was theirs, 39-32, the deficit cut from 18 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 101-83 against them. Mobley's -23 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/30 vs LAC 127-122 — CLE notes
CLE won 127-122. CLE shot 51% (47 of 93) to LAC's 48%, 15 of 45 from three. Allen led with 25 (11 of 12, 3 of 6 at the line); Mitchell added 24, Mobley 22. The hinge was Q1, 37-24: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
4/02 vs NYK 124-105 — CLE notes
CLE won 124-105. CLE shot 53% (50 of 94) to NYK's 44%, 12 of 37 from three. Mitchell led with 27 (10 of 18, 3 of 7 from three); Allen added 21, Garland 17. The hinge was Q3, 38-25: CLE came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 21. CLE trailed 53-60 at the half and won the second half 71-45. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
4/04 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Castle at 17 and Johnson at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Allen at 19 a game. Without Jerome (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and San Antonio minus-9. Call it Cleveland 120, San Antonio 115.
4/06 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Allen at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Wade (2 straight), Jerome (5 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and Sabonis at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Sacramento allowing 111 a night to Cleveland's 118. Call it Cleveland 119, Sacramento 114.
4/08 vs CHI — 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 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 17 a game. One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 123, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; White at 26 and Vučević at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (18 straight), Smith (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-7 a night and Cleveland plus-1. Call it Cleveland 122, Chicago 117.
4/10 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Turner at 20 and Siakam at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Sheppard (2 straight), Isa. Jackson (73 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Mobley at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 13 times a game to Indiana's 8 and the line, where Indiana takes 24 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17. Call it Indiana 117, Cleveland 116, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/26 vs LAC 113-126 — NYK notes
NYK lost 113-126. NYK shot 50% (42 of 84) to LAC's 51%, 13 of 34 from three. Towns led with 34 (11 of 20, 4 of 7 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Anunoby added 28, Bridges 17. Q1 was theirs, 33-20, but the other 3 periods went 106-80 against them. They led by as many as 14. Shamet's -29 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/28 @ MIL 116-107 — NYK notes
NYK won 116-107. NYK shot 48% (45 of 93) to MIL's 55%, 12 of 33 from three. NYK turned it over 8 times to MIL's 16. The glass went 44-32 for them. Anunoby led with 31 (9 of 21, 3 of 10 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Bridges added 26, Towns 14. The hinge was Q1, 25-19: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 19. Kolek was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/30 vs POR 110-93 — NYK notes
NYK won 110-93. NYK shot 54% (45 of 84) to POR's 44%, 10 of 25 from three. Bridges led with 28 (12 of 22, 2 of 6 from three); Anunoby added 28, Hart 14. The hinge was Q4, 31-15: a lead of 1 became 17. NYK trailed 50-58 at the half and won the second half 60-35. Shamet was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
4/01 vs PHI 105-91 — NYK notes
NYK won 105-91. NYK shot 42% (36 of 85) to PHI's 42%, 12 of 31 from three. Anunoby led with 27 (7 of 16, 2 of 9 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Shamet added 20, Bridges 14. The hinge was Q1, 35-26: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Bridges was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/02 @ CLE 105-124 — NYK notes
NYK lost 105-124. NYK shot 44% (40 of 90) to CLE's 53%, 11 of 36 from three. Towns led with 25 (9 of 16, 1 of 3 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Anunoby added 23, Hart 19. Q1 was theirs, 34-28, but the other 3 periods went 96-71 against them. They led by as many as 15. Bridges's -18 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/05 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Young at 24 and Daniels at 18 a game. Without Johnson (32 straight), Capela (11 straight), Mathews (4 straight). 2 days' rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Anunoby at 27 and Towns at 21 a game. Without Brunson (14 straight), McBride (7 straight), Tucker (8 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 108 a night to Atlanta's 123. Call it Atlanta 117, New York 116, New York keeping it close.
4/06 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Anunoby at 27 and Towns at 20 a game. Without Brunson (15 straight), McBride (8 straight), Robinson (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 132, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 21 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Plumlee (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 104 a night to Phoenix's 132 and the glass, where New York has been plus-3 a night and Phoenix minus-6. Call it New York 120, Phoenix 109, New York by 11.
4/08 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Anunoby at 27 and Towns at 21 a game. Without Tucker (10 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Tatum at 23 and Brown at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 15 a night. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-15 a night and New York plus-2 and the turnovers, New York giving it away 14 times a game to Boston's 11. Call it New York 112, Boston 111, Boston keeping it close.
4/10 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 117, shooting 41 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Hardaway Jr. at 19 and Beasley at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Harris (3 straight), Smith (17 straight), Harper Jr. (29 straight). 2 days' rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 107, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Towns at 27 and Anunoby at 24 a game. Without Achiuwa (2 straight), Tucker (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-3 a night and Detroit minus-11 and the arc, New York at 38 percent from three to Detroit's 31. Call it New York 113, Detroit 112, Detroit keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
EB E. Bates
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JG J. Green
JT J. Tyson
LT L. Travers
MS M. Strus
NT N. Tomlin
SM S. Merrill
NYKAW A. Watson
DW D. Wright
JH J. Hart
KT K. Towns
LS L. Shamet
MB M. Beauchamp
MB M. Bridges
OA O. Anunoby
PA P. Achiuwa
TK T. Kolek
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
Mitchell scores 27 points as Cleveland rallies past New York for 61st victory
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers matched the second-most wins in franchise history, defeating the New York Knicks 124-105 on Wednesday night.
Jarrett Allen added 21 points for the Cavaliers, who have 61 wins, equaling the 2009-10 squad. That was the final season in LeBron James’ first stint with the team. The franchise record is 66 wins during the 2008-09 season.
With Cleveland's win and Boston's loss to Miami, the Cavaliers have a five-game lead for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with six games remaining.
The Cavaliers trailed 60-53 at halftime before taking control in the third quarter. The game was tied at 83-all before they went on a 15-2 run over a four-minute span late in the third and early in the fourth to go on top for good.
New York's Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven turnovers after missing Tuesday's game due to knee soreness. OG Anunoby scored 23.
Takeaways Knicks: New York is 8-6 without Jalen Brunson , but the star guard has been cleared to resume basketball activities and could return to the lineup for the the final week of the regular season.
Cavaliers: They have scored at least 120 points 44 times this season, a franchise record. ... Forward Dean Wade did not play due to illness.
Key moment Cleveland started its decisive run late in the third quarter with eight straight points. That included a steal and driving layup from Isaac Okoro to extend the lead to 89-83.
Key stat Allen is 31 of 34 from the field in the Cavaliers' last three home games.
Up next Both teams are on the road. The Knicks are at Atlanta on Saturday while the Cavaliers travel to the Spurs on Thursday night.