The Knicks Erase a 17-point deficit to defeat the Cavaliers on Christmas Day

Big Fourth Quarter push to take the two-point win

New York, NY- The New York Knicks hosted the first game of five in the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule as they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. It looked like it was going to be their third loss at home on the season, but with a big push in the fourth quarter, the Knicks made a big run to grab the lead and held on to defeat the Cavaliers by a final score of 126-124.

Jalen Brunson of the Knicks and Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers shared the lead for most points in the game, as both men scored 34 points, but Brunson went 6 for 12 behind the three-point line while Mitchell went 4 for 9. Jordan Clarkson led all bench players with 25 points and had the second-most points of all players on the court.

First Half: The Cavaliers started hot and held the lead

The Cavs came out strong to start the game as the Knicks missed their first two to three shots, when Mitchell and Darius Garland were lighting up the scoreboard with several strong plays, alley oops, and three-point shots that were going down with ease. The Knicks did fight back, taking several good shots and multiple three-pointers to take a two-point lead at halftime.

Second Half: Cavaliers started hot again, but the Knicks came back hard

Throughout the entire third quarter, the Cavaliers took a 17 point lead and looked as though they were going to take the victory. The Knicks had other plans as they chipped the lead away. Losing Josh Hart to a possible right ankle/foot injury and left in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Knicks continued to push through and held on to a two-point victory within the final seconds of regulation.

KEY STATS

NEW YORK: 44 for 94 FG, 21 for 44 3PTS, 17 for 22 FT
CLEVELAND: 45 for 86 FG, 15 for 34 3PTS, 19 for 23 FT
LARGEST LEAD: Cavaliers with 17 points in the third quarter
MOST POINTS: Knicks with 42 in the fourth quarter

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