April 3 – Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to pace the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, as they used a fourth-quarter run to put away the visiting New York Knicks 124-105 on Wednesday night.
Cleveland (61-15) went on a 20-6 run early in the third quarter to pull ahead after trailing by nine points, but New York rallied to force an 83-all tie late in the period. The Cavaliers then ripped off eight straight, including back-to-back easy buckets for Isaac Okoro, to jump-start a game-changing run.
Cleveland went on a 15-3 spurt that carried over into the fourth quarter, while holding New York without a field goal for the first 2:48 of the period.
By the time Precious Achiuwa ended the drought, the Cavaliers opened up a double-digit-point lead they held the rest of the way.
Six Cavaliers scored in double-figures, including Jarrett Allen, who finished with 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the floor. Allen added a team-high eight rebounds.
Darius Garland added 17 points and six assists, De’Andre Hunter scored 16 off the bench, and Okoro went for 11 points and six rebounds in reserve duty. Evan Mobley chipped in 13 points.
New York (48-28) got a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double from Karl-Anthony Towns, who returned after missing Tuesday’s first leg of the back-to-back. However, Cleveland forced Towns into seven turnovers.
OG Anunoby added 23 points for the Knicks, going 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Josh Hart finished with 19 points and Achiuwa posted 13 points with six rebounds off the bench.
With the win, the Cavaliers tied the franchise record for the second-most wins in a regular season with the 2009-10 team. Cleveland, which has won five of its last six, also ended New York’s three-game winning streak.
The Knicks’ lead over the Indiana Pacers for third place in the East sits at three games, while Cleveland maintains a five-game edge over the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the conference.
The Cavaliers and Knicks meet again on April 11 in New York.
–Field Level Media
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