Riding on a dominant first half, New York resisted Cleveland’s comeback to snatch a second victory (102-93) in their lair on Sunday. Tom Thibodeau’s men thus take off in the series (3-1) and are only one game away from the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Despite an approximate address (27.6% three-point), the Knicks left an impression of domination. Carried by a public in a trance, Mitchell Robinson (11 rebounds, including 7 offensive) and the interiors of the Knicks monopolized the racket. Their 47 rebounds, compared to their opponents’ 33, set the tone for the game, especially the 17 they grabbed on offense.
A fright in the third quarter
For twelve minutes, New York shook. Darius Garland, so far in great difficulty, came out of the locker room with a new face. While he had scored only 2 points in the first half, the leader scored 11 and generated 11 others with his assists in twelve minutes, giving the Cavaliers a first advantage with an alley-oop concluded by Jarrett Allen.
Seeing the hosts in the lead at the end of the third quarter was, at this stage, quite a surprise. The entry of Isaiah Hartenstein, dissuasive in the racket, then the three-point shot of Jalen Brunson six seconds from the buzzer, allowed their team to start the final stretch with a slim lead (73-71).
New York then contented itself with reciting its basketball, while Cleveland came down from its little cloud. The Cavaliers return to Ohio with an arduous challenge: come back two games behind, which has not been done – outside of the Orlando bubble in 2020 – since LeBron James’ Cavaliers feat in the Finals 2016 NBA.
4,8 %
In NBA history, 13 out of 271 teams have won their playoff series after trailing 3-1, or 4.8% of them.
Jalen Brunson shines, Donovan Mitchell misses his game
If the interior sector of the Knicks made the difference, the exteriors were not left out. The Cavaliers went unanswered for a long time against Jalen Brunson, the game’s leading scorer with 29 points at 11/22 shooting, including 5/9 from three points. Author of 26 points, RJ Barrett also scored his new record in the play-offs.
On the contrary, Donovan Mitchell, offensive leader of Cleveland, did not hold his rank. The rear, scored only 11 points with a lack of success crying (5/18 shooting, 0/4 three-point). His 6 lost balls and 4 fouls penalized his team, like his lack of defensive intensity.
2023-04-23 20:00:52
#York #Knicks #confirm #Cleveland #Cavaliers #NBA #playoffs
