The New York Knicks took advantage of the Cavaliers’ back to back to pick up their third consecutive victory.
They won on the road at Rocket Arena by 109-97, with 60 combined points from Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns.
The centre contributed 14 points and 4 rebounds in the first quarter, and the reigning Finals MVP scored 18 of his 31 points in the second quarter alone.
After starting the new season with three straight defeats, the Knicks move above .500 for the first time (5-4).
“At the start of the new season, one of my worries was: will we approach this season the way we should?” said Mike Brown.
“And obviously we didn’t. That’s why we took a good punch. And I’m fine with that. Because this is the time to take it. If you have champion’s DNA, and this group does, it serves as a wake-up call. It makes you realise that nobody gives you anything and that everything is harder than people think,” he explained.
The Cavaliers, who were coming off an impressive win over Philadelphia, had no answer for the Knicks.
Fatigue ultimately hit a team that recalled last year’s Conference Finals, with a combined deficit of 66 points.
And last night only Donovan Mitchell showed up, as has become customary, with 37 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
It is worth noting that his team-mate James Harden managed just 7 points and 5 assists in 34 minutes on court.
“Tonight we rediscovered that magic and it reminded me of last year’s team,” said Towns.
“Tonight we were fortunate enough to do something very special,” he added.
For his part, Mike Brown looked for alternatives following the latest absence of Josh Hart. Shamet started again and, overall, a 12-man rotation was used.
Special mention goes to Jordan Clarkson, who was the best player off the bench with 9 points and 2 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting.
“I think we’re in a good place right now,” said Brunson.
“We’ve recovered from our start to the season, but we’ll try to work as hard as we can so we don’t become complacent. We’ll keep improving every day. Having won two games doesn’t mean anything. We’re going to keep working and that will be our daily focus,” he concluded.
Other standouts
Knicks: Jalen Brunson (31 points and 9 assists); Karl Anthony-Towns (29 points and 13 rebounds); O.G. Anunoby (15 points and rebounds).
Towns has made an impressive start, recording a double-double in all nine games he has played to date.
Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell (37 points); Evan Mobley (12 points and 9 rebounds); Peyton Watson (12 points and 6 rebounds).
(Cover photo: Reuters)
