Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks
Friday, April 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY | Game ID: 22401175
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NYK 39 23 24 16 102CLE 24 26 28 30 108
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Garland rallies Cavs to 108-102 win over No. 3 seed Knicks, who finish 0-8 vs East's top 2 teams
NEW YORK -- — Darius Garland scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers ' comeback from 23 points down for a 108-102 victory Friday night over the New York Knicks , who finished 0-8 against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks were locked into the No. 3 seed in the East during the game when the Indiana Pacers , resting all five starters, were routed by the Orlando Magic to end their hopes of passing New York.
But no matter where the Knicks finished, they look a step below the teams above them. The top-seeded Cavaliers completed a four-game sweep, just as the No. 2 Boston Celtics did with their overtime victory at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers played without All-Star Donovan Mitchell and key reserves Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter, but went with their other four starters.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 points for the Knicks, who rested All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns but otherwise had their regular starting lineup in their third straight loss.
The Knicks made 10 of their first 13 3-point attempts to open a 48-25 lead in the first half, but the Cavaliers outscored them 30-16 in the fourth quarter.
Takeaways Cavaliers: Coach Kenny Atkinson said he believed that Mitchell, officially listed out for the third straight game with a sprained left ankle, would have been able to play Friday if the game mattered and said he would be ready to go for the playoff opener on April 20.
Knicks: The Knicks will have enough trouble with first-round opponent Detroit, the No. 6 seed that won the series 3-1, before worrying about the record against Cleveland or Boston.
Key moment Garland scored all Cleveland's points in an 11-6 surge that turned a three-point deficit into a 97-95 edge.
Key stat Cleveland is 16-4 in its last 20 games in the regular season in Madison Square Garden, though lost both in the Knicks’ victory in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
Up next Cleveland faces Indiana again on Sunday. The Knicks will be in Brooklyn.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NYKCP C. Payne
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
LS L. Shamet
MB M. Bridges
MM M. McBride
MR M. Robinson
OA O. Anunoby
PA P. Achiuwa
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JG J. Green
JT J. Tyson
MS M. Strus
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
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