Offensive rebounding was the deciding factor the last time the Cavaliers and Knicks met in the regular season, and that was the case again in Game 1 of their First Round matchup on Saturday night.
New York outdid the Wine & Gold on the offensive glass in the second half, 11-4 – grabbing what seemed like every key rebound down the stretch to flummox the young Cavaliers, who couldn’t close out a late rally and dropped the 101-97 decision in the series opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Cavaliers were down 10 midway through the fourth quarter before Donovan Mitchell keyed a Cavaliers surge that saw them jump ahead by a point, 93-92, on Jarrett Allen’s tip-in with 2:12 to play. But New York’s Josh Hart drilled a triple on the next possession to retake the lead.
Cleveland kept coming on the offensive end, but simply couldn’t get extended stops defensively, with New York grabbing three huge offensive boards in the final 92 seconds of regulation to seal the deal and win its fourth straight in the series overall.
Making his sixth straight Playoff appearance, Mitchell was exceptional on Saturday night – netting 14 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, going 14-for-30 overall, including 6-of-16 from long-range and 4-of-6 from the stripe, adding a game-high eight assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
Darius Garland followed up with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting and led Cleveland with four steals, but the 4th-year man, making his Playoff debut, handed out just a single assist compared to five miscues and didn’t grab a rebound in 43 minutes of work.
Jarrett Allen didn’t get going until late – attempting just four shots through the first three quarters before putting it together late, doubling-up with 14 points and a game-high 14 boards to go with four assists.
Evan Mobley grabbed 11 boards of his own in Saturday’s loss, but the soft-spoken sophomore struggled from the floor, going 4-of-13 from the floor, adding a pair of assists and a steal.
Cedi Osman was the Cavs most productive reserve, finishing with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, but the Knicks bench had the edge on Saturday – outscoring Cleveland’s second unit, 37-15, with Josh Hart leading the way for New York with 17 points and 10 rebounds – five of those off the offensive glass in 33 outstanding minutes for work off the bench.
Jalen Brunson, who erupted for 48 points the last time these teams squared off, led New York with 27 points on Saturday, going 11-for-24 from the floor. Julius Randle, who was a game-time decision after missing the Knicks last five games of the season with an ankle injury, doubled-up with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
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