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CLEVELAND, Ohio — That looked familiar.
Playing for the first time since their first-round playoff matchup, the Cavs were mauled by the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, 109-91. It’s Cleveland’s third straight loss overall, dropping it to 1-3 at the start of the season. It is just 2-6 in meetings with rival New York since the beginning of last year, when the two Eastern Conference foes began on their collision course.
Tuesday’s highly anticipated, nationally televised rematch — an opportunity for the Cavs to get a modicum of vengeance after being punked in April — didn’t have the same playoff atmosphere or intensity. There’s no way to recreate that in October. Neither coach used creative schemes or fancy defensive coverages. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse wasn’t even filled to capacity at tipoff.
And despite players and coaches talking about being more energized than usual for a late-October regular season game, with the matchup carrying more significance because of the recent history, the showdown lost a bit of luster with Cleveland being shorthanded.
Getting decimated by early-season injuries that have forced Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff to use three different starting lineups in the first four games, the Cavs were without a quartet of their nightly rotation, including starters Darius Garland (left hamstring strain) and Jarrett Allen (ankle bone bruise). Reserve guards Ty Jerome (sprained ankle) and Caris LeVert (hamstring soreness) were also inactive, leaving Cleveland undermanned for a third consecutive night — coinciding with this losing streak.
The Knicks already have the Cavs’ number. Without the typical offensive firepower? Forget it.
It was shades of the lopsided playoff series. The Cavs not being able to shoot or score. Getting pushed around in the paint. Losing the rebounding battle. Costly turnovers. Trailing most of the night.
At the end of the third quarter, with Cleveland trailing by a game-high 18 points, a conglomeration of fans bolted toward the exits. They had seen enough. Bickerstaff called it midway through the fourth, emptying what was left of his already-thin bench and asking the end-of-rotation pieces to close the game.
In a matchup that featured just four lead changes and four ties, the Cavs led for one minute. They were down by as many as 23 points. The burly Knicks turned it into a slugfest — just like April. They walled off the paint and forced the Cavs to make jumpers. Once again, even with some roster reinforcements, Cleveland couldn’t.
The Cavs shot 36 of 92 (39.1%) from the field and 10 of 38 (26.3%) from 3-point range. They had a clunky offensive rating of 92.6.
Cleveland was led by star guard Donovan Mitchell. Questionable going into the game because of an achy hamstring, Mitchell tallied 26 points on 11 of 20 shooting to go with three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 29 minutes.
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At one point in the fourth quarter, as the Cavs were attempting to make the game a bit more competitive, Mitchell strolled to the scorer’s table for one final push. Instead, the Knicks went on a mini run, forcing Bickerstaff to called timeout. Mitchell retreated to the bench. He watched the entire fourth quarter.
Fourth-year forward Isaac Okoro added 11 points — his fourth straight game scoring in double figures.
Newbie Georges Niang — brought to Cleveland for these kinds of matchups, expected to pull defenders away from the rim with his deft shooting stroke — also had 11 points, going 4 of 12 from the field and 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. Rookies Craig Porter Jr. and Emoni Bates, seeing more minutes than expected this early in the season, chipped in with 10 and nine points, respectively.
The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. They had 19 points apiece.
When the schedule dropped, this game was circled. So much for the predicted litmus test.
Up next
The Cavs will travel to New York on Wednesday night, playing the Knicks for the second night of a home-road back-to-back series. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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