NBA: Jalen Brunson helps Knicks survive Cavaliers in Game 1
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates after scoring during the fourth quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 15, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Knicks defeated the Cavaliers 101-97. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Jalen Brunson scored 21 points in the second half Saturday night for the visiting New York Knicks, who rebounded with a late surge to edge the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-97 in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
The Knicks were forced to rally back after squandering a 10-point fourth quarter lead. Brunson finished with a team-high 27 points.
Article continues after this advertisementGame 2 is Monday night in Cleveland.
Josh Hart (17 points, 10 rebounds) posted a double-double off the bench and scored the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:49 left for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who are in the playoffs for the second time in three years. Julius Randle, who missed the final five games of the regular season with a sprained left ankle, also had a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds).
Jalen Brunson (27 PTS, 2 STL) was CLUTCH in his first playoff appearance as a Knick!
He had 21 points in the 2nd half to help lead the Knicks to a Game 1 win in Cleveland.#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/iuDjLo7C60
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2023
Donovan Mitchell had 38 points and eight assists for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who are in the playoffs without LeBron James for the first time since 1998. Jarrett Allen (14 points, 14 rebounds) recorded a double-double while Darius Garland finished with 17 points.
Brunson picked up three early fouls and was limited to six points in nine minutes in the first half. But the Knicks faced only a trio of two-point deficits and led by as many as 12 before carrying a 50-45 lead into the half.
The teams were tied three times in the opening minutes of the third before Obi Toppin scored seven points during a 17-8 run that gave the Knicks a 78-67 lead with a minute left in the period.
MONSTER performance by Donovan Mitchell in his @cavs postseason debut.
38 PTS
8 AST
3 STLThey look to even the series Tuesday at 7:30pm/et on TNT. pic.twitter.com/lFSWHs9Nrn
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2023
The Cavaliers didn’t get closer than six points until they mounted a 9-0 run and took a 93-92 lead on Allen’s putback with 2:12 left in the fourth.
Hart hit a 26-footer out of a timeout, after which Mitchell missed a 3-pointer. Brunson then hit a stepback from the foul line to extend the Knicks’ lead to 97-93.
Mitchell responded with a pair of free throws and Hart missed a jumper, but Isaiah Hartenstein tapped out the rebound and Brunson hit a floater to put New York up 99-95.
After a Cavaliers timeout, Allen dunked with 31.6 seconds left.
Brunson missed a long jumper, but Randle grabbed the rebound and kicked out to Quentin Grimes, who iced the win by draining a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds left.
