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NEW YORK — Finally.
After four straight losses against rival New York, the Cavs ended that rotten streak with a 95-89 win inside Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. The long-awaited triumph avenged a loss to the Knicks in Cleveland one night earlier and provided a speck of retribution following New York’s playoff dominance this past April.
Inside the World’s Most Famous Arena, on a stage reserved for the brightest stars, Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell put on a first-half show.
Then, after a chilly second stanza, Mitchell closed the curtain with back-to-back buckets in the final minutes.
Those daggers prevented a New York comeback and more heartbreak at the hands of their newest Eastern Conference rival.
Shimmering early, Mitchell scored the Cavs’ first 13 points — a stretch that finally ended when backup center Tristan Thompson canned a floater at the 2:42 mark of the first quarter. Players not named Mitchell went just 3 of 11 from the field in the first. Nonetheless, Mitchell’s brilliance — and New York’s own offensive malaise — had the Cavs in front, a rarity during what has become a non-competitive head-to-head battle.
By the end of the first 24 minutes, Mitchell accounted for nearly half of Cleveland’s scoring output, tallying 23 of its 49 points.
The second half was about the others — until closing time.
Clinging to a three-point lead with less than three minutes remaining, Mitchell buried a clutch top-of-the-arc rainbow 3-pointer that extended the lead to five. It was Mitchell’s first made shot of the second half. His second came on the following possession — a layup after a missed jumper.
Mitchell, the native New Yorker who relishes playing at MSG, finished with 30 points on 9 of 22 shooting and 6 of 15 from 3-point range in 37 exhausting minutes.
Sixth man Caris LeVert, who was inactive for Tuesday’s 109-91 loss because of a sore hamstring, added 19 off the bench, including 12 in the second half to pick up the offensive slack with Mitchell stymied.
Youngster Evan Mobley, who has struggled against New York since the start of last season, tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocks in 35 hard-fought minutes against New York’s burly frontcourt.
Mobley had 11 points, hitting five of his eight shot attempts during a turnaround second half.
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Coming off a lopsided loss against New York Tuesday night — a game in which short-handed Cleveland led for just one minute — coach J.B. Bickerstaff attempted to alter the juju.
He used his fourth different starting lineup in the first five games, going with Mitchell, Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Max Strus and Georges Niang — the offseason addition who stepped into the spot recently occupied by Dean Wade. Point guard Darius Garland (hamstring strain), Jarrett Allen (ankle bone bruise) and Ty Jerome (sprained ankle) were out once again. There is hope that Garland and Allen return Friday night.
Without them, the Cavs continued to struggle on the offensive end, being held below the 100-point threshold for the second straight night. But Cleveland has built its identity on the other end of the floor.
That swarming defense flummoxed New York throughout. The Knicks shot just 32 of 92 (34.8%) from the field and 5 of 30 (16.7%) from beyond the arc.
Early in the third quarter, the Cavs built their lead to a game-high nine points — their biggest advantage over the Knicks since Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Wednesday doesn’t erase those haunting memories. But it helps sin the process of changing the narrative about New York’s ownership of Cleveland.
Up next
The Cavs will travel to Indiana for a matchup with the Pacers on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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