Cavs Fall to Knicks in Opening Night Matchup

*** Wednesday night’s heavyweight matchup in the season opener in New York was billed as a possible Eastern Conference Finals preview, and the back-and-forth battle was worthy of the hype – even with both teams missing key pieces they’ll hope to have healthy this spring. 

The Cavaliers trailed by 15 points at intermission, but Donovan Mitchell’s third-quarter charge helped Cleveland tie the score after three quarters. Tyrese Proctor’s bucket to start the fourth gave the Wine & Gold a brief edge, but the Knicks answered with a 14-0 run that put the contest just out of reach, with New York taking the 119-111 decision at Madison Square Garden. 

Playing without Darius Garland and Max Strus, each recovering from offseason surgery, and De’Andre Hunter, nursing a right knee contusion, the Cavs were paced by Mitchell – who scored 21 of his 31 points in the third quarter, going 9-for-14 from the floor in the period, 12-for-25 overall, adding five assists, a pair of steals and a block. 

“I think, (we’re) just figuring it out,” said Mitchell. “You’re throwing different rotations and then you have guys, you have young guys, you’ve got old guys and just different things that come with them. That’s why we’re not really hanging our heads on this loss. We have a lot to work on and a lot to build on.”

Evan Mobley did most of his damage before the break – notching 16 of his 22 points in the first half, going 3-of-5 from long-range in the process. The league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year led Cleveland with eight boards, adding three assists, three steals and a blocked shot. 

Sam Merrill rounded out the Cavaliers starters in double-figures, going 5-for-10 from beyond the arc on the night and scoring eight of his 19 points during Cleveland’s late fourth-quarter rally to keep it competitive. 

New York’s OG Anunoby led four Knicks starters in double-figures with 24 points and led both teams with 14 rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns also doubled-up in the opener, finishing with 14 points and 11 boards. Jalen Brunson (23 points) was 12-of-13 from the stripe. 

“Our offense wasn’t very good,” said Cavs Coach Kenny Atkinson. “(Our) shot profile was below average and we didn’t get extra possessions either, which we normally do. So, (the Knicks) won that battle, they won the possession game, the free-throw game. I think we won the three-point shooting game. But credit to them, they were the better team tonight.”

*** Cleveland’s second unit had some nice moments on Wednesday night. 

Lonzo Ball struggled from the floor – going 1-for-7 from deep, finishing with three points – but still played a strong two-way floor game, leading the squad with six assists to go with four boards in 23 minutes of work. 

The Cavs’ other offseason acquisition, Larry Nance Jr., was even better in his return to the Wine and Gold – finishing with 10 points and six boards, canning both three-pointers he attempted in 17 action-packed minutes off the bench. 

Dean Wade attempted three three-pointers and drilled all three, finishing with 10 points and a blocked shot. 

*** The Cavaliers – who swept New York in four meetings last season – didn’t lose their first game until November 19 last year. On Wednesday night, they shot 42 percent from the floor and drilled 19 three-pointers, four of those by Evan Mobley. 

New York beat Cleveland up on the glass, 48-32, and made 36 trips to the line to the Cavaliers’ 18. 

*** Last year’s top pick, Jaylon Tyson got the start in Wednesday’s opener, finishing with five points, a pair of boards and a block in 20 minutes of action. 

In the afternoon before the game, the sophomore forward from Cal got some good news, with the Cavaliers exercising their third-year team option on the 6-6, 224-pounder. The 20^th overall pick of the 2024 Draft, Tyson appeared in 47 games, averaging 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per. In his first career start, the Texas native doubled-up with 16 points, 11 boards and seven assists.

*** The Cavaliers stay in the Big Apple before tipping off the home slate – taking on Jordi Fernandez and the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at Barclays Center. The Wine & Gold christen Rocket Arena on Sunday night when they welcome Giannis and the Bucks to town. They get right back on the road from there – traveling to Detroit the next night and Boston on Wednesday. The Cavs close out the month of October on Halloween night in Cleveland against the Raptors.