Knicks erase 22-point deficit in 4th, stun Cavaliers in overtime to take Game 1
NEW YORK — Madison Square Garden has seen Eastern Conference finals heartbreak before. Tuesday night, the Knicks answered it with something far more satisfying. A year after blowing a 17-point fourth-quarter lead against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1, the Knicks authored their own late-game stunner, rallying from 22 points down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 115-104, in overtime in Tuesday’s Eastern Conference finals opener at the Garden.
It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA playoffs in 13 years. Game 2 will be played in Manhattan on Thursday. Jalen Brunson led the charge, finishing with a game-high 38 points on 15-for-29 shooting after catching fire late and dragging the Knicks back from the edge.
And Donovan Mitchell dazzled for Cleveland with 29 points, five rebounds and three assists. Evan Mobley added 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Knicks trailed by 22 in the fourth quarter.
They looked buried. Then Brunson changed the entire night. The Knicks outscored Cleveland 32-18 in the period, with Brunson pouring in 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting to fuel a furious comeback.
He drove an 18-1 run that pulled the Knicks within eight with 4:08 remaining, pushing his total to 34 points and breathing life back into a building that had spent much of the second half in stunned silence. Cleveland needed a response, and Mobley delivered one, burying a massive 3-pointer with 3:09 left to cool off Brunson, silence the Garden crowd and restore an eight-point Cavaliers lead. Brunson answered anyway.
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