The Knicks closed out a dominant first round series against the Cavaliers with a 106-95 Game 5 win in Cleveland.
Here are the takeaways…
– New York’s usual suspects contributed strong offensive outings, with Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett scoring 23 and 21 points respectively, but it was Mitchell Robinson once again coming up as the x-factor with a monster 13-point, 18-rebound performance, including multiple backbreaking offensive boards late in the game.
– Cleveland’s star guards were once again smothered by New York’s clamping defense, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 28 points on 26 shots and Darius Garland racking up 21 points and six turnovers.
– Immanuel Quickley added 19 points and Obi Toppin scored 12.
– Quentin Grimes missed his second consecutive playoff game with a shoulder injury.
– The game opened up like many of the past matchups, with three early Cavs turnovers and Knicks offensive rebounds. New York led 14-10 midway through the period.
– JJulius Randle got a lot of touches out of the gates with the Knicks scheming to get him going. He struggled to convert but set up teammates for five assists. Brunson added 12 on 4-of-4 shooting to give New York a 33-26 lead after one.
– Quickley found his rhythm off the bench with three threes and 11 points in the first half, eight of which came in the second quarter. His offensive spark and defensive efficiency helped the Knicks build a double-digit advantage early in the period.
– New York maintained that lead despite some timely threes from Cleveland’s role players. Randle found success attacking the rim and built up 13 in the first half, but rolled his injured ankle as halftime approached. The Knicks led 61-51 at the break.
– Despite the Randle injury, New York kept pushing. Toppin stepped up in his absence with the first seven points of the second half for the Knicks on a corner three, windmill slam and mid-range pull.
– A 7-0 Cavs run cut the lead to single digits, but Toppin responded with another three, then a Brunson steal led to a slam and Toppin had another leak to respond in kind. Cleveland’s big adjustment on the night was keeping Ricky Rubio out of the rotation and inserting Lamar Stevens for the first time.
– Mitchell went on a late run with a deep three and free throws to pull Cleveland within 12, 87-75, heading into the fourth.
– A Garland three and mid-range jumper cut the Knicks lead to six. Barrett and Quickley responded with respective trips to the free throw line, and a lob to Robinson increased the lead back to 12 midway through the final period. New York never looked back.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks will play the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.