NBA: Darius Garland, Kevin Love help Cavaliers fend off Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket beside New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Darius Garland posted one of three double-doubles Monday night for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who frittered away all of a 15-point fourth-quarter lead before Garland’s 3-pointer with 1:23 gave the hosts the lead for good in a 95-93 win over the New York Knicks.
The 3-pointer was the only one of the game for Garland, who finished with 13 points and 12 assists as the surging Cavaliers won for the seventh time in eight games. Kevin Love had 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and hit four 3-pointers while scoring 14 points during a 26-7 third-quarter run for Cleveland.
Evan Mobley had 15 points and 12 rebounds while Isaac Okoro (14 points) and Dean Wade (13 points) also scored in double figures.
RJ Barrett scored 24 points for the Knicks, who have lost four of five. Julius Randle had 18 points but missed a turnaround desperation 3-pointer from near half-court at the buzzer. Obi Toppin added 13 points off the bench while fellow reserve Quentin Grimes had 12 points.
Kevin Love & Evan Mobley BOTH snatched double-doubles in the @cavs W!@kevinlove: 20 PTS, 11 REB, 6 3PM@evanmobley: 15 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST pic.twitter.com/UP61oaaNMB
— NBA (@NBA) January 25, 2022
Neither team led by more than seven until the Cavaliers’ third-quarter run, which ended with Love hitting a pair of free throws to put Cleveland up 76-62 with 2:48 left.
The Cavaliers opened the fourth on a 10-2 run to take their biggest lead at 86-71 before the Knicks responded. Barrett had seven points in a 13-1 run, a span in which Cleveland was 0-for-7 with a pair of turnovers.
Wade snapped the slump by draining a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 90-84, but Grimes answered with a 3-pointer and Garland missed a jumper before Barrett’s layup pulled New York within 90-89 with 3:14 left.
Mobley hit a free throw with 2:50 left before Randle tied the game with a driving layup 22 seconds later. The Cavaliers committed a shot clock violation on their next trip, after which Randle missed an 18-footer. Mobley then grabbed his own rebound and dished to Garland for the go-ahead 3-pointer.
The teams traded empty trips before Barrett hit a pair of free throws with 40.2 seconds left. Rajon Rondo missed a 3-pointer with 17.1 seconds left, but Barrett missed a long 3-pointer with five seconds remaining. Mobley hit one of two free throws to set up the final sequence, when Randle was the only Knick who could get open before he hoisted the shot with Lamar Stevens’ hand in his face.
