CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers took a loss during another litmus test Sunday night, falling 107-98 to the New York Knicks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Last April, the Cavs were bullied, outmuscled and eliminated by the Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Despite possessing a home-court advantage, Cleveland lost the best-of-seven series 4-1 .
T he Cavs (39-21) entered their nationally televised game Sunday positioned second in the Eastern Conference standings. Now they're third. The Knicks (36-25) remained in fourth.
The Cavs lost to the Knicks 109-91 on Oct. 31 in Cleveland and then prevailed 95-89 on Nov. 1 in New York.
Well, the Knicks won the rubber match, prevailing in the third and final meeting between the two teams this regular season.
Both teams were missing key players due to injury. Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell (knee) was among them, and Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson (knee) left early in the first quarter.
But the game still qualified as a noteworthy matchup.
Heading into the All-Star break in mid-February, the Cavs were red hot, winning 18 of 20 games. Since returning, they're 3-4 and seeking consistency.
Tipoff occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday. Here are updates from throughout the game.
Below is some information about the fourth quarter.
After the Cavs sliced the Knicks' lead to 101-98 on a Jarrett Allen -to- Evan Mobley alley-oop with 2:04 to play, New York forward Josh Hart countered.
Hart made a 3-pointer from the right baseline to give the Knicks a 104-98 edge with 1:36 remaining.
Guard Miles McBride sealed the Knicks' win by making a 3-pointer to give New York a 107-98 advantage with 32.4 seconds left.
Hart tormented the Cavs throughout the game and finished with a triple-double (13 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists). Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo scored a game-high 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field, and forward Bojan Bogdanovic had 20 points.
Backup shooting guard Sam Merrill scored a team-high 21 points for the Cavs, making 7 of 13 3-pointers. Point guard Darius Garland added 19 points, center Allen had 18 and small forward Isaac Okoro chipped in 17.
Reliving a theme from Cavs-Knicks games last season, Cleveland was outrebounded 47-39.
With 3:04 left to play and the Cavs trailing 101-96, guard Max Strus drove to the basket for a layup, but Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein met him in the paint. The players were shaken up after making contact with one another.
Hartenstein was initially called for a foul, but the Knicks challenged. After a replay review, the foul called on Hartenstein was wiped out. New York won the ensuing jump ball.
Strus and Hartenstein remained in the game, but Strus left with 2:28 remaining.
A string of two 3-pointers by Garland and another 3 by Merrill gave the Cavs some momentum and a 92-88 deficit with 6:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Bogdanovic answered for the Knicks with a 3-pointer of his own made a free throw to complete a four-point play. The sequence gave the Knicks a 96-88 lead with 6:38 remaining.
Below is some information about the third quarter.
DiVincenzo has taken over this game. He drilled yet another 3, and then added another basket in the closing seconds, as the Knicks opened up a double-digit lead. He was averaging 14 points per game entering tonight and has now doubled that with 28 points, along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals, after only three quarters.
Merrill hit a 3 just before the quarter ended to bring the Cavs to within nine of the lead. Merrill has 15 points. Forward Evan Mobley has 11 points and nine rebounds.
As soon as the Cavs came back to tie it, the Knicks went on a run, spurred by DiVincenzo, who nailed back-to-back 3 pointers.
He now has a game-high 23 points along with three steals.
The Knicks now lead the Cavs 76-68 with 2:47 left in the third quarter.
Garland intercepted a pass from the baseline as if he were a defensive back and then hit Okoro for a transition layup that tie it 64-64 with six minutes left in the third quarter.
Okoro now has 13 points, and Garland has eight points and four rebounds.
The Knicks will be without All-Star guard Jalen Brunson for the rest of the night, as he has been officially ruled out after injuring his left knee only 47 seconds into tonight's game.
In a postgame news conference, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Brunson suffered a knee contusion and X-rays came back negative.
The Cavs have closed the gap against the Knicks thanks to some big-man passing.
After Strus drilled a 3 to cut the Knicks' lead to 64-60, center Allen tossed an alley-oop to forward Mobley, who slammed it home with two hands.
Nick Gilbert, such a beloved member of the Cavaliers family and their history, now has his place next to the organization's best.
During halftime of Sunday's game against the New York Knicks, the Cavs unveiled a Nick Gilbert bow tie banner next to the other retired numbers and jerseys.
Below is some information about the second quarter.
Garland made a 3-pointer to slice the Knicks' lead to 49-48 with 2:09 left in the second quarter.
Allen stole the ball and made a fast-break dunk on an assist from Strus to make it 51-50 in favor of the Knicks with 52 seconds remaining.
Then Garland made a 3-pointer with nine seconds left, and the Cavs led 53-51 at halftime.
In the first half, Allen, small forward Isaac Okoro and Merrill led the Cavs with 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively.
DiVincenzo led the Knicks with 12 points in the first half. Bogdanovic and guard Miles McBride added 10 points apiece.
The Knicks called timeout with 5:01 left in the second quarter after the Cavs charged back and trimmed New York's lead to 43-40.
Merrill and Okoro made 3-pointers to fuel an 8-0 run by the Cavs. At this point, Merrill was 4 of 5 and Okoro 3 of 3 on 3-pointers. No other Cavs player had made a 3-pointer.
With 7:39 left in the second quarter, Cavs starting forward Evan Mobley picked up his third foul, prompting coach J.B. Bickerstaff to substitute for Mobley.
Knicks guard Alec Burks drew the foul and made one free throw to give New York a 39-29 lead.
Below is some information about the first quarter.
The Cavs are playing the Knicks and can't seem to buy a 3-pointer. Sound familiar?
The Cavs are shooting just 22.2 percent from 3-point range, including several second-chance opportunities that haven't been converted due to a missed 3 (or two). Overall, the Cavs are shooting just 38.1 percent from the floor.
The Cavs had a sloppy end to the first quarter. The most notable sequence included Mobley grabbing a defensive rebound but then throwing the ball away, which eventually led to an offensive rebound and a Josh Hart 3. The next trip down the floor, Hart was left wide open for another 3-pointer.
Cavs fans have been given plenty of reason to boo early on tonight. First, it was as the Knicks took the floor, and particularly as Jalen Brunson was being introduced, considering the sour taste still left in Cleveland after the rough playoff series last April.
The second instance as reserved for the refs. Strus drove to the hoop and had his shot blocked by Precious Achiuwa , though replays showed that the ball clearly hit the backboard first, meaning it should have been a goaltending. As the humongotron showed the replay, Bickerstaff was pleading with the refs to look at the video.
With Mitchell out, Okoro has led the early charge, as the Cavs hold a small lead over the Knicks. Okoro's defense didn't lead to a steal, as he couldn't quite corral the ball, but he did force a 24-second violation that was followed by his 3-pointer at the other end of the floor.
The Cavaliers, Browns and Machine Gun Kelly teamed up for a tribute video for Nick Gilbert during the Cavaliers' Bow Tie Night during Sunday's game with the New York Knicks.
Below is the video.
Only 47 seconds into Sunday night's game between the Cavaliers and Knicks, guard Jalen Brunson went down in obvious pain while clutching for his left leg and knee/shin area, though at one point he also grabbed for his ankle.
Roughly midway through the second quarter, the Knicks announced Brunson was questionable to return to the game with a sore left knee.
Brunson went up for a shot and appeared to feel the injury as he jumped, reacting to the pain before he even released the ball. Replays show it was a non-contact injury.
He later had to be helped off the floor after trying to put weight on the leg. As for tonight's game, it's a major loss if Brunson doesn't return. But the real headline will rest with whether Brunson misses any time beyond Sunday night's game if he doesn't return against the Cavs.
Below is some pregame information.
The Cavs will hold the second annual Bow Tie Night Sunday night to honor the legacy of Nick Gilbert, the son of Dan Gilbert and Jennifer Gilbert who passed away in May of 2023 due to complications related to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways anywhere in the body.
Nick, along with the Gilbert family, dedicated his life to raising awareness and supporting families impacted by NF1 as well as funding research to find a cure.
"I mean, I think he's been an inspiration to everybody, not just this organization who knows his story," Bickerstaff before Sunday's game. "I think about the last time we were in Detroit at the gala and they showed a video about Nick and the things that he went through and the attitude that he maintained every single day, going through what he was going through and how he always tried to find a positive."
"As tough as things were, as difficult as it was, he never allowed himself to give into it. And every single day he fought. And to me, I mean, that's the nature of life. That's the nature of sport to a lesser degree, obviously. It's like every opportunity, no matter the ups and downs you never give in. You continue to fight and try to be an inspiration the way Nick was."
During a halftime show, the Cavs unveiled a permanent Nick Gilbert banner in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The banner is meant to "serve as an enduring reminder of Nick's unquenchable spirit," according to a release from the team.
And to celebrate Nick's love of "everything cheese," the Cavs have a concession stand that'll be rebranded "Gilly's" and will serve Nick's favorite dish, Mac & Cheese, which is titled "Bow Tie Mac & Cheese" at the arena.
The team is also giving away towels that include Nick's known phrase, "What's not to like?" Shirts with the slogan will be sold, with all proceeds going to NF Forward.
About an hour before tipoff, the Cavs ruled out Mitchell (knee) and sixth man Caris LeVert (elbow). They ruled out backup point guard Ty Jerome (ankle) earlier in the day.
The Knicks ruled out forwards OG Anunoby (elbow surgery) and Julius Randle (shoulder) and center Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery).
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The Cavs are 105-121 in their all-time regular-season series with the Knicks.
The Cavs went 1-3 versus the Knicks in the 2022-23 regular season, foreshadowing Cleveland's playoff collapse.
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The Knicks-Cavs game had a national TV audience on ESPN. The showdown was televised locally on Bally Sports Ohio and broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs lose to Knicks in their final regular-season meeting
