Jalen Brunson leads Knicks past Cavs in potential playoff preview
CLEVELAND — If this was a preview of a first-round playoff matchup, expect a mountain of points and a thrilling battle of guards.
Jalen Brunson won his matchup against Donovan Mitchell and the Knicks outlasted the Cavaliers on Friday night, 130-116, running away in the fourth quarter in their first game without the injured Julius Randle.
Brunson dropped a career-high 48 points and MItchell added 42. The back-and-forth resembled a duel, with exciting finishes and little regard for perimeter defense. In a microcosm of the evening, Mitchell soared for a dunk with about five minutes left that cut Cleveland’s deficit to single digits. And Brunson immediately responded with a 3-pointer to bury the home team at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
“You guys have seen it all year. I think there’s nothing that he does that surprises you, and it’s a testament to how tough-minded he is,” Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s always so mentally tough, particularly when he has adversity. He’s nicked up a little bit, but he’s a machine. He just keeps going. And I think that’s the best leadership you could have. The things that you do each and every day. It’s not phony, it’s not fake. It’s not disingenuous. That’s who he is. He’s authentic.”
New York’s point guard had the final laugh as Thibodeau finally unlocked a defense to thwart Mitchell in the fourth quarter. Brunson finished with nine assists and shot 18-for-32, including 7-or-12 from beyond the arc.
Mitchell shot 16-for-23.
The victory moved the No. 5 Knicks (45-33) within three games of the No. 4 Cavs (48-30), but, more importantly, maintained their 2 ½-game edge over the No. 6 Nets (42-35).
Randle, who is out for the remainder of the regular season (and perhaps some of the playoffs), was replaced in the lineup by Obi Toppin, who struggled enough defensively to only log 19 minutes (including zero in the fourth quarter).
The Knicks outscored the Cavs in the final period, 25-14.
“We gave [Mitchell] everything we could,” Thibodeau said. “Sometimes we were blitzing, sometimes we were showing. We gave them different looks and they still made it. And then as the game goes on, just tried to make them work for their points.”
The new lineup also brought some hostility. TV cameras caught a tense exchange between Obi Toppin and RJ Barrett during a timeout in the third quarter. It appeared Barrett was angered by something Toppin said and stood up to go at his teammate.
They were held back and the teammates peaced it up in the locker room.
“It probably happens more than people realize. Heat of the moment,” Thibodeau said. “It dissipated immediately. If there’s a flareup, go talk to each other. When they walked out together, I knew they were fine. And just move on. Win the game. When everyone wants to win, sometimes there’s a difference of opinion. Just put the team first and that’s what they did.”
Mitchell was excellent but only managed four points in the fourth quarter when he was bottled up by a combination of Josh Hart’s intense on-ball defense and quick traps.
Before the game, Thibodeau outlined why Mitchell is so difficult to guard and it sounded prophetic a couple hours later.
“He’s always been dynamic. He had that part down,” Thibodeau said. “But I think three years ago he made a major shift in shooting more 3s. And that opened up his drive game. He’s very difficult, he’s shifty. He can crossover out of pick-and-rolls. He can split pick-and-rolls. And I think adding at to his game really changed his game. He’s great off the dribble. He’s versatile in the sense that he can off the ball and on the ball. So you have to be ready for both. And he’s not afraid. He’s a great competitor.”
The new Knicks starters featuring Toppin were pummeled early while giving up 22 points in the opening 5 ½ minutes, prompting Thibodeau to burn a timeout.
Mitchell hit his first eight shots — including three treys — and scored 23 points in the opening quarter. THe only thing holding him back was foul trouble. Brunson countered with his own 21-point first quarter, the most he’s ever scored in a single period. His 33 in the opening half was also a career-high.
On both sides, defense was optional and mostly ignored. Dribblers navigated screens to get to the paint with ease. The first-quarter score was historically offensive: Cavs 47, Knicks 42.
It was the most points the Cavaliers scored in any quarter.
Some of it was a product of Randle’s absence. The Knicks entered with a bottom-5 ranking in pace, which suits Randle’s halfcourt game. Eliminating Randle translated to speedball Friday.
“Whoever you have — and I think this is a big part of running efficient offense is, what are the strengths of the people that you have?” Thibodeau said. “Play to your strengths and cover up your weaknesses.”
The stakes were high and the Knicks rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter.
“We do know the importance of it, though,” said Cavs guard Darius Garland, who scored 20 points in 38 minutes. “We know the mentality they’re going to bring, because they’re a little bit behind us. We know what we’re going into.”
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