NBA: Jalen Brunson, Knicks top Cavaliers to seize 3-1 series lead
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates his three-point shot late in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 23, 2023 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-93. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP
Jalen Brunson poured in 29 points and RJ Barrett supplied 26 as the host New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-93 on Sunday afternoon in Game 4 of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
With the victory, New York seized a 3-1 lead in the series, which heads back to Cleveland on Wednesday for Game 5.
Article continues after this advertisementBrunson made 11 of 22 shots and added six rebounds and six assists, while Barrett went 9-for-18 from the field. Josh Hart chipped in 19 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks, who outrebounded the Cavaliers 47-33.
Jalen Brunson shines in Game 4 as the @nyknicks take a 3-1 series lead!
29 PTS
6 AST
6 REB
WNYK/CLE Game 5: Wednesday, 7 PM ET, NBA TV pic.twitter.com/1etOfwXKBW
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2023
Darius Garland finished with a team-high 23 points and a game-high 10 assists for Cleveland, which canned 36 of 77 (46.8 percent) shots overall, including 6 of 23 (26.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
Article continues after this advertisementJarrett Allen and Caris LeVert each had 14 points, while star guard Donovan Mitchell was held to just 11 on 5-for-18 shooting. He scored just two points in the second half.
After Cleveland’s Cedi Osman sank a free throw to make it 75-75 with 9:48 left in the game, the Knicks fed off a raucous home crowd, putting together a 15-6 surge to go up by nine.
RJ Barrett puts up 26 points for the @nyknicks in a massive Game 4 win at MSG!
The Knicks take a 3-1 series lead into CLE/NYK Game 5 on Wednesday.
7 PM ET | NBA TV pic.twitter.com/pl5FuHdWpB
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2023
Brunson effectively sealed the victory when he drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:45 remaining.
The Knicks shot slightly worse than Cleveland overall at 38-for-84 (45.2 percent), but they made 8 of 29 3-pointers (27.6 percent), including five by Brunson.
Cleveland came out of halftime with a vengeance, opening the second half on a 14-5 run to tie things at 59-59. The visitors eventually took their first lead of the game with 6:27 left in the third quarter when Allen threw down an alley-oop dunk to make it 63-61.
New York managed to keep things close, though, and took a 73-71 lead into the final period after Brunson nailed a 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left in the third.
Brunson scored five points and Mitchell Robinson converted a three-point play as part of a 10-2 run that allowed the Knicks to open up a 15-point advantage with 5:17 left in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers then scored 14 of the final 22 points of the first half to pull within 54-45 by the break.
Brunson led all first-half scorers with 16 points, while Evan Mobley paced Cleveland with 10.
