Julius Randle posted a double-double Tuesday night for the visiting New York Knicks, who pulled away in the second half to defeat the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 109-91 in the opener of a home-and-home set.
Randle had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who outscored the Cavaliers 51-39 in the second half. The two teams are slated to play again Wednesday night in New York.
Jalen Brunson also scored 19 points, and RJ Barrett scored 16 points. Immanuel Quickley (18 points) and Isaiah Hartenstein (13 points) scored in double figures off the bench while combining to shoot 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field.
Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 26 points for the Cavaliers, who played without Darius Garland, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. Garland and LeVert were out due to hamstring injuries and Allen missed the game because of an ankle injury. Isaac Okoro and reserve Georges Niang had 11 points apiece, and Craig Porter added 10 points off the bench.
Brunson scored nine points in a game-opening 16-8 run before the Cavaliers responded with a 13-3 run in which they took their final lead at 21-19 on Mitchell’s jumper with 3:23 left in the first quarter. The Knicks ended the period on a 9-3 run to take a 28-24 lead.
Hartenstein’s hook with 7:26 left in the second quarter gave the Knicks their first double-digit lead at 41-31. Mitchell scored 10 points in a 13-4 run that pulled the Cavaliers within one. Cleveland was within two points twice more before New York ended the half on an 8-4 run to take a 58-52 lead.
The Cavaliers cut the deficit to four points twice early in the third quarter before going cold, as the Knicks ended the quarter on a 24-10 run. Randle had seven points and Brunson added six points in the surge. Cleveland was 0-for-11 with four turnovers over a nearly six-minute span and shot just 29.2 percent (7-for-24) in the quarter.
The Cavaliers began the fourth quarter with a 10-4 run, but the Knicks scored the next nine points via two 3-pointers by Quickley and a 3-pointer from Josh Hart to extend their lead to 99-78 with 6:36 left. New York led by as many as 23 down the stretch.
–Field Level Media
