Sunday’s matchup between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers could have been a star-studded affair with several NBA All-Stars. But, injuries robbed fans of that, as both teams are battling through injury woes.
The Cavaliers were without their All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who was announced out a few hours before the game. The Knicks have been without Julius Randle since January 27th and just 47 seconds into Sunday’s game, were without Jalen Brunson as well.
Brunson suffered what looked to be a scary knee injury on New York’s first possession of the game. He rised up for a mid-range jumper but it went awry as he began clutching at his left knee immediately.
He needed help to the locker room and was eventually ruled out for the game. It sounds as if he has avoided any serious injury, as the Knicks are calling Brunson’s injury a bone bruise and listing him as day-to-day.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Evan Mobley & Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
Already favored heading into the game, without Brunson, the Cavaliers’ odds of winning jumped even higher. But, no one told the Knicks that, as they were in control for most of the evening, holding a lead for a lot more time than they played from behind.
It was a gutsy effort from the Knicks, who won 107-98 and received contributions from players up and down their roster. Miles McBride played every second of the game after replacing Brunson with 11:13 remaining in the first quarter.
Josh Hart recorded the third triple-double of his NBA career, scoring 13 points with a career-high 19 rebounds and 10 assists. Donte DiVincenzo led the team with 28 points while Bojan Bogdanovic poured in 20 off the bench as well.
It was a bad loss for a Cavaliers squad that has cooled off considerably recently. They were outhustled by the Knicks, who seem to have Cleveland’s number. After the game, Evan Mobley provided some bizarre comments when talking about the outcome.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Evan Mobley & Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
“I thought we started off pretty slow…stoppage in play early in the game kinda got the rhythm a little off…” Mobley said when talking to reporters.
Getting out of rhythm on the first defensive possession of the game certainly sounds like a cop-out from Mobley. The Cavaliers just don’t match up well with the toughness and physicality the Knicks bring to the court and aren’t taking accountability for how they played.
During the 2023 NBA Postseason, many people thought Cleveland played too soft a brand of basketball to make any real noise. Sunday’s performance was yet another example of that, as even with Mitchell sidelined, that isn’t a game they should be losing.
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