Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and R.J. Barrett broke out of a slump with 19 on Friday as the New York Knicks held the Cleveland Cavaliers to the lowest points total in the NBA this season, rolling to a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series with a 99-79 victory.
Back when the NBA playoffs were always part of the springtime schedule at Madison Square Garden, this is what they looked like: Tough to score and even a little tough to watch.
However, the fans loved it.
Photo: AFP
The Knicks emphatically bounced back from a loss in Game 2 and moved halfway to their first series victory since 2013.
They led by 27 points in the fourth quarter, when a sold-out crowd of 19,812 was so loud that there was little chance of hearing much of what the public address announcer was saying — especially as seldom-used veteran Derrick Rose was checking into the game to a huge ovation.
“It was what I expected for sure,” Knicks All-Star Julius Randle said. “A lot of, lot of energy and we were able to feed off it, so I love it.”
Josh Hart added 13 points for the fifth-seeded Knicks. They became the first team to allow fewer than 80 points during this regular season or post-season.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points for the Cavaliers, who never gave themselves a chance with their most inept offensive performance of the season, rattled perhaps by the Knicks on the court and the fans surrounding it.
“Not being able to make shots definitely hurts as well, but it’s one of those things where we’ll be good,” Mitchell said. “Like, kind of breathe and relax and calm down.”
Darius Garland, who scored 32 points in Game 2, made just 10 on four-for-21 shooting. Caris LeVert, moved into the starting lineup after scoring 24 in that 107-90 victory, missed all six shots in the first half before coming on late for 17 points.
Barrett was six for 25 in the first two games, but his shot was falling and he aggressively drove to the basket to get himself going.
Plus, some of the Cavs’ 21 turnovers sent Barrett and the Knicks off to easy transition baskets.
It was just the second time the playoffs were at Madison Square Garden in the past 10 years and it looked like something played by the beloved 1990s Knicks, who had the Garden rocking deep in many springs with their rugged brand of basketball.
“As a basketball player you kind of grow up thinking about moments like these,” Barrett said. “It was electric in there and happy we get to come back Sunday.”
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets delivered a disciplined performance to beat the Timberwolves 120-111 to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series,
Jokic had his seventh career triple-double in the playoffs with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
“We didn’t want to give them life,” said Jokic, who led the NBA with 29 triple-doubles this season. “We wanted to be the aggressor. We wanted to punch them first.”
In Atlanta, Georgia, Trae Young had game highs of 32 points and nine assists to lead the Hawks to a 130-122 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their series.
Young, who added six rebounds and two blocked shots, was 12-of-22 from the field and scored nine consecutive points as the Hawks finished up the win.
The Hawks moved to 2-1 in the series.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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