Reserves Tyler Kolek and Mitchell Robinson sparked the comeback after the Cavaliers led 103-86 early in the final period. Kolek had 16 points and nine assists, and had fans chanting his name after a late block on Donovan Mitchell that originally was called a foul but was overturned on review. Robinson hustled after offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive and finished with 13 boards.
Brunson made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining, after he, Kolek and Clarkson all hit from behind the arc in a 13-2 run that cut Cleveland’s 12-point lead to 111-110.
Mitchell had 34 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Darius Garland added 20 points and 10 assists, but the Cavaliers blew their chance at a third straight win.
Evan Mobley finished with 14 points and nine rebounds after missing five games with a strained left calf.
The Cavs raced to an 18-3 lead behind 10 points from Mitchell and led 38-23 after one quarter. But Clarkson opened the second with consecutive 3-pointers, and after a Cavs 3-pointer, the Knicks ripped off an 18-0 burst to take a 47-41 lead.
The Knicks made 12 of their first 14 shots in the second, before Mobley had Cleveland’s final four baskets as New York took a 60-58 edge into the break.
Cleveland quickly regained control in the third. Mitchell slammed down a lob pass that Garland threw from beyond halfcourt to cap a 10-3 burst to open the period, and Mitchell later hit a 3-pointer to cap an 18-4 spurt that turned a 71-all tie into an 89-75 advantage for the Cavs.
Cavaliers: Visit Houston on Saturday.
Knicks: Visit Atlanta on Saturday.
—
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
#3
#1
| TOP SCORERS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |
D Mitchell SG | 34PTS | 7REB | 6AST | |
  |
J Brunson PG | 34PTS | 1REB | 4AST | |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | PF |
| D. Mitchell | 34 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| D. Garland | 20 | 1 | 10 | 2 |
| S. Merrill | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| J. Allen | 7 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| D. Wade | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | PF |
| J. Tyson | 16 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| E. Mobley | 14 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| D. Hunter | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| T. Bryant | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| L. Ball | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| L. Travers | – | – | – | – |
| T. Proctor | – | – | – | – |
| N. Tomlin | – | – | – | – |
| C. Livingston | – | – | – | – |
| C. Porter Jr. | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 124 | 45 | 30 | 23 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | PF |
| J. Brunson | 34 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| J. Hart | 15 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| M. Bridges | 12 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| K. Towns | 11 | 14 | 1 | 4 |
| O. Anunoby | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | PF |
| J. Clarkson | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| T. Kolek | 16 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| M. Diawara | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| A. Hukporti | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Robinson | 0 | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| G. Yabusele | – | – | – | – |
| P. Dadiet | – | – | – | – |
| T. Jemison | – | – | – | – |
| K. McCullar Jr. | – | – | – | – |
| T. Evbuomwan | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 126 | 43 | 28 | 17 |