The Knicks had a ten-plus rebounding advantage at times in the first half, but the Cavaliers started rebounding in the second half, led by Georges Niang, who had ten boards on the night, all on the defensive glass. Cleveland also got a boost from Cavs veteran Tristan Thompson, who brought some energy into boxing out.
The Cavs only got outrebounded by four, which helped them get the W in New York.
Donovan Mitchell had a big first half and hit two critical shots down the stretch, leading the Cavs in points with 30.
A much-needed boost came from Caris LeVert, who missed Tuesday’s game and was a significant factor on Wednesday night, playing 31 minutes and scoring 19 points.
On Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers halted a three-game losing streak by defeating the New York Knicks 95-89, with Donovan Mitchell contributing 30 points to the victory.
Cleveland saw Caris LeVert score 19 points, while Eric Mobley chipped in 14.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24 points, and Immanuel Quickley added 18. Donte DiVincenzo also made an impact with 16 points, and Mitchell Robinson secured 16 rebounds.
RJ Barrett was sidelined for New York due to a sore left knee, and Julius Randle had a rough night, scoring only six points on a 3-for-15 shooting performance, including 0-for-6 from long range.
At halftime, the Knicks held a narrow 50-49 lead, but the Cavaliers took control in the third quarter with a 13-5 run and never looked back. Dean Wade’s three-pointer with 55 seconds left in the quarter gave Cleveland an eight-point advantage at 69-61.
The Knicks struggled in the third period, managing just 13 points, and the Cavaliers entered the fourth quarter with a 71-63 lead.
Cleveland extended their lead in the final quarter, with Wade sinking another 3-pointer to put them up 77-68 with 9:10 remaining.
Although the Knicks narrowed the gap to two points at 79-77 after Robinson’s free throw with 2:48 left, Mitchell responded with a 3-pointer and a floater in the next two possessions for the Cavaliers. The Knicks failed to get closer than five points for the remainder of the game.
The Cavaliers got off to a strong start by scoring the first five points, but the Knicks answered with nine consecutive points.
Donovan Mitchell had an impressive first quarter, scoring 13 of his team’s 24 points, while the rest of the Cavaliers contributed 11 points, allowing them to lead 24-22 after the opening period.
The Knicks briefly held a five-point lead in the first half, reaching 33-28 on a basket by Josh Hart with 9:21 remaining in the second quarter. Hart finished the game with 11 points.
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