The Cleveland Cavaliers went on the road to battle the Knicks in Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday night.
Cleveland routed the Knicks in Game 2 107-90 to tie the series at 1. In Game 3, the MSG crowd fueled the Knicks, and they beat up and routed the Cavs 99-79 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks led by as many as 27 points in this one.
The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at MSG.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Lime of the Cavs’ loss to the Knicks.
The Great:
The game is over, and that is the only great thing. Evan Mobley had a double-double(10 points and 10 rebounds), and Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Cavs with 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but it didn’t matter.
Not So Great:
Shooting: The Cavs shot 39% from the field and 21% from deep(7/33). They could not make shots; it’s that simple.
Darius Garland was okay in Game 1(17 points and one assist) and was excellent in Game 2(32 points and seven assists), and unfortunately, he was bad in Game 3. Garland was 4/21 from the field, including 1/7 from downtown, to finish with 10 points. He was off on Friday, and playing in his first road playoff game at MSG got the best of him.
First Half: New York was not that great in the first half, but the Cavs were even worse. Cleveland shot 31% in the first half and 2/19 from three-point range. In addition, they had 12 turnovers. Cleveland scored 17 points in the first and only 15 in the second quarter. They were sloppy, they could not make shots, and it showed. The Cavs trailed 45-32 at the break.
Turnovers: Cleveland had 21 turnovers, which led to 28 points for the Knicks. Mitchell was the biggest culprit, with six turnovers. Just sloppy.
Let Brunson loose: In Game 1, Jalen Brunson had 27 points; in Game 2, the Cavs made adjustments, and Brunson had 20 points on 5/17 shooting, but in Game 3, the Knicks made adjustments, and Brunson got loose again as he had 21 points and six assists. He’s the straw that stirs the drink for the Knicks.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs could not handle the hostile environment in Game 3. That was a great environment at MSG. The celebrities were out, the ex-Knicks were out, and the fans were jacked up!
In Game 1, the Cavs played their first playoff game in a long time, and it showed. In Game 2, they settled in and played well. In Game 3, the Cavs played their first road playoff game in a long time, and it showed. Let’s see if they can settle down in Game 4. If they don’t, their season will end in the first round of the playoffs.
Expect a big bounce-back performance from Cleveland in Game 4.
Best of the Rest:
For the Knicks, R.J. Barrett had 19 points and eight rebounds; Josh Hart had 13 points, and Immanuel Quickley had 11 points off the bench.
For the Cavs, Caris LeVert had 17 points.
Cavs became the first team to score less than 80 points in a game this season.
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