Knicks Win a Big One on Christmas Day

Jalen Brunson posts up Donovan Mitchell - Photo courtesy of Nathaniel S. Butler, Getty

The New York Knicks pulled out a big win at Madison Square Garden today. It took every ounce of effort from this Knicks squad to vanquish Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and the feisty Kenny Atkinson-led Cleveland Cavaliers but they were able to pull out the 126-121 victory to improve to 21-9 on the season.

There were a lot of highs and lows in this one and I'm here to share a quick recap, my key contributors of the game, and a few closing thoughts.

Quick Recap

The first quarter was an abysmal showing of basketball as Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson got into foul trouble early and the Knicks showed no life on the offensive end. The Cavs shot 68% from the field and put up 38 points in the first quarter. The second quarter was much better as the Knicks shored up their defense and went on an 18-0 run over 4+ minutes, all without Jalen Brunson. Jordan Clarkson was lights out from the field and the defense allowed just 20 points in the quarter. That second quarter was a prime showing of what the Knicks are capable of when Brunson inevitably hits the bench. That needs to continue throughout the rest of the season when their star is resting.

The third quarter was one of the worst I have seen from this team in a while. Darius Garland and budding contributor Jaylon Tyson ate them alive and the Cavs outscored the Knicks 38-24 in the quarter. The Knicks suddenly found themselves down 12 by the end of the quarter.

Then the fourth quarter happened.

The Cavs managed to extend the lead to 16 with 10:26 to play. Josh Hart left the game roughly 4 minutes into the quarter after coming down awkwardly on his ankle after a drive to the hoop. However, things began to turned in the Knicks' favor once Tyler Kolek checked in for Hart. Kolek made a few huge jumpers down the stretch and Jalen Brunson found the Jalen Brunson rhythm we all know and love. From about the 6:40 mark onward, Brunson contributed 11 points, Kolek 8, and Mitchell Robinson snatched 3 huge offensive rebounds. The Knicks went on to close it out for their largest comeback win of the season thus far. Fitting that the Knicks would put us through an emotional gauntlet on Christmas Day.

Key Contributors

Hats off to Jalen Brunson, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, and Mitchell Robinson for leading this team to victory today. They are my key contributors of the game and each one of them showed up in a big way to help lead the Knicks to a win.

1. Jalen Brunson

   Cap deserves all the flowers for his play down the stretch. He finished with 34 points, shot 50% from 3 point land, had 4 assists, and 2 steals. A fantastic shooting effort from Brunson. He played 39 minutes, the highest of any player on the Knicks. This was a super encouraging game from Brunson after he sat out Tuesday's game against Minnesota.

   
   

2. Tyler Kolek

   Did someone say guard play led this team to victory? Kolek, along with Brunson and my other contributor of the game, Jordan Clarkson, willed this team to victory. He was especially huge down the stretch when Josh Hart went down with an injury. I love how he has been playing and the kid has rightfully earned more minutes from Mike Brown. He finished the game with 16 points, 9 assists, and the team was +24 when he was on the floor.

   
   

3. Jordan Clarkson

   Clarkson lit it up from the field today, generating 25 points and shooting 50% from three. Without his shooting, I don't think the Knicks would have been able to pull this one out. Early on in the first half, his shooting kept this team in the game. I was very excited to see him get big minutes today and his play of late has been very encouraging.

   
   

4. Mitchell Robinson

   I couldn't make this one just about the guards! Mitch Rob was phenomenal and his rebounding was huge leading to a large chunk of the Knicks' second-chance points. Robinson grabbed 8 offensive rebounds, with 3 of those coming down the stretch in the 4th quarter. In just 17 minutes, he stepped up in a massive way on the boards. Throw in a block and 2 assists, and this was a well-rounded game for Mitch.

Final Thoughts

This was a huge win for the Knicks. After a couple tough losses to the Timberwolves and 76ers recently, this one against the Cavaliers felt like a game they needed. It was a tough and gutsy win that took every ounce of fight and will in their bones to pull out.

The Knicks are now 15-2 at home and 21-9 overall. Next up is a tilt against the Hawks in Atlanta on 12/27 where they will face off against Jalen Johnson and Trae Young. But before that, they get to bask in today's win and help spread some Christmas cheer to myself and many other Knicks fans in the tri-state area.