Knicks blow 13-point lead — and survive Jalen Brunson injury scare — in tough loss to Cavaliers

The retooled Knicks person looked much cohesive since getting destroyed by nan Celtics connected Opening Night, but they only person divided a brace successful their adjacent 2 games against caller Eastern Conference playoff foes.

The Knicks flushed a 13-point third-quarter lead Monday nighttime to Donovan Mitchell and nan Cavaliers and they mislaid for nan 2nd clip successful 3 games to commencement nan season, 110-104, astatine nan Garden.

Darius Garland led nan unbeaten Cavaliers (4-0) pinch a game-high 34 points and Mitchell vanished pinch 25, arsenic nan Knicks could not do their portion connected a engaged nighttime successful New York sports.

All-Star constituent defender Jalen Brunson came up limping pursuing a floater successful nan lane precocious successful nan 3rd 4th and concisely headed for nan locker room. But he returned to nan chair earlier nan play ended and checked backmost into nan crippled early successful nan 4th earlier finishing pinch a team-high 21 points — albeit connected 8-for-24 shooting — pinch 7 assists.

Mikal Bridges scored 19, while Karl-Anthony Towns vanished pinch 13 points and 10 rebounds for nan Knicks, who will play successful Miami connected Wednesday.

Before nan game, erstwhile Knicks adjunct coach Kenny Atkinson, now nan caput man successful Cleveland, said that he believes Towns was “an unthinkable pickup” that makes nan Knicks “championship contenders.”

The Knicks missed their first 7 attempts from 3-point scope and trailed by 9 successful nan first quarter, earlier Cam Payne and Towns connected from agelong region successful nan last 2:07 to thief trim nan shortage to 22-18 done one. Mitchell and Garland netted 7 apiece for nan Cavaliers successful nan first.

Payne drained different trey earlier successful nan 2nd to propulsion nan Knicks wrong one, and a 9-0 tally culminated by a 3-pointer and an wrong bucket from Josh Hart (16 points, 13 boards) gave them a 36-31 lead midway done nan quarter.

A dunk by Bridges and a free propulsion by Brunson extended nan Knicks’ cushion to 10, their largest of nan half, pinch little than 3 minutes to play earlier nan Cavaliers trimmed nan people to 52-45 astatine intermission.

Bridges paced nan Knicks pinch 10 first-half points, Hart and Brunson had 9 apiece, while Payne and Miles McBride mixed for 13 done 2 quarters.

The Knicks led by arsenic galore arsenic 13 successful nan 3rd connected OG Anunoby’s 3-pointer pinch 4:29 to play successful nan quarter, but 2 consecutive close-range baskets by Garland triggered a 13-2 Cleveland tally that pulled nan Cavaliers wrong two, 74-72, pinch little than 1 infinitesimal remaining successful nan period.

The Cavaliers tied it successful nan opening infinitesimal of nan 4th connected wrong makes by Evan Mobley and Mitchell, prompting Tom Thibodeau to telephone a timeout.

Brunson came backmost onto nan level aft nan stoppage, but 3-pointers by Georges Niang and Mitchell gave nan Cavaliers an 84-80 advantage pinch 9:50 left.

Hart helped nan Knicks moreover matters again, however, pinch 2 free throws pursuing a difficult foul by Niang and past a bargain and provender to McBride for a game-tying layup.

But Garland buried 2 much 3-pointers astir an violative foul called against Knicks rookie Ariel Hukporti connected a would-be dunk for a 99-91 Cleveland lead pinch 3:51 remaining. Brunson netted 5 points to propulsion nan Knicks backmost wrong 3 astatine 1:41, but they sewage nary closer.