Brunson Scores 31 as Knicks Beat Cavs 109-97

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points and the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-97 at Rocket Arena on Saturday night in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finalists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Brunson piled up nine assists as the defending NBA champions took control in the second quarter and held off a late push.

New York improved to 5-4. Cleveland dropped to 5-5 after handing Philadelphia its first road loss on Friday. The Knicks swept the Cavs in last season’s conference finals, including a 37-point blowout in Game 4 on this same floor.

Eighteen Straight Changed the Night

Cleveland led 39-37 in the second quarter when Brunson took over. He hit a three, then scored 18 straight points over a span of 4:24 and pushed the Knicks in front 52-45. On the next possession his shot was blocked, but he grabbed the loose ball and found Landry Shamet for a three that made it a 10-point game. New York closed the half up 63-53 after outscoring Cleveland 37-26 in the second.

Brunson finished 12 of 25 from the field and 3 of 7 from three, with six rebounds and only one turnover in 34 minutes. Towns went 11 of 21 with five offensive rebounds and did not turn it over. OG Anunoby added 15 points. The Knicks assisted on 27 of their 41 made field goals and committed just seven turnovers.

Mitchell Made It Interesting Late

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points on 13-of-22 shooting and 5 of 13 from three. Twenty-one of those points came in the fourth quarter, when Cleveland outscored New York 27-21 and tried to climb out of a hole that had reached 19. James Harden, though, finished with just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting in 34 minutes, and the Cavs never got the stop they needed down the stretch.

Brunson answered the run with a jumper inside the final three minutes that helped New York close it out. The Knicks won the third quarter 25-17 and took an 88-70 lead into the fourth, which gave them enough cushion when Mitchell got hot. Cleveland shot 16 of 50 from three and turned it over 11 times.

The East Rematch Still Has Bite

Josh Hart missed his second straight game with an ankle injury that coach Mike Brown called nothing major. Cleveland was without center Jarrett Allen (knee) plus guards Jaylon Tyson (ankle) and Sam Merrill (elbow). Evan Mobley had 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists in Allen’s place, and Peyton Watson also scored 12.

The first meeting since last year’s Eastern finals looked familiar once Brunson got going. New York is still finding its footing at 5-4 after a slow start, but nights like this are why the defending champs remain the problem in the East. Cleveland is back at .500 and heads out to face the Hornets without much room for error.

The Knicks host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. The Cavaliers visit Charlotte on Monday.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Jalen Brunson points against Milwaukee on Tuesday. He just dropped 31 with a second-quarter scoring binge and nine assists, and he carried a heavier creation load with Hart sidelined by that ankle injury.