Tuesday night saw the New York Knicks decimate the Milwaukee Bucks in a 32-point win, 117-85, to win their fourth game in a row after starting off the season 0-3. Saturday, November 7th saw the Knicks take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, where they pulled off a 109-97 victory, and now today both teams will face off for the second time this season. The Knicks will look to win a fifth straight game while the Cavs look to get even at .500 after falling to 5-6. Can New York win the first two matchups against Cleveland, or will this season series be knotted up at one game apiece?
Against Milwaukee, the Knicks stars came out to play. Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 23 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns continued to tack on a double-double each game, finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds. OG Anunoby played a more efficient game than previous outings this season, dropping 19 points behind five three-pointers. New York pulled down 59 rebounds, which was 27 more than the Bucks were able to grab. Rebounding played a big part in the Knicks’ win, but their shooting, points in the paint, and points off turnovers also helped them surpass Milwaukee in this easy win. They’ll have to play with the same consistency even on a back-to-back, especially against the team they played in the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago, if they want to earn a fifth straight win.
Cleveland is coming off two consecutive losses: their loss to New York on Saturday night and two days later, a disappointing road loss to the Charlotte Hornets. In their outing against Charlotte, the Cavs struggled on the glass and could not match up to the Hornets’ 46 three-point attempts. Grayson Allen and Naz Reid combined for 10 threes on 21 attempts and 52 points. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden struggled with 11 points each, while Evan Mobley had nine points in the loss. Meleek Thomas played 27 minutes off the bench and led Cleveland with 18 points. The Cavaliers need to find that spark that propelled them to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago. If they falter against the Knicks once again, Cleveland will have a lot of figuring out to do before Friday’s NBA Cup Group Stage matchup against the Miami Heat.
When these two teams played the first time around, both franchises’ scoring percentages were nearly identical. New York shot had a better percentage from the free-throw line, yet the Cavs had more attempts. The Knicks out-rebounded Cleveland by nine and had the Cavaliers commit four more turnovers. Just like in the first matchup, rebounding will be a key component in winning this game for either side. Towns and Andre Drummond need to enforce the effort on the glass, while Mobley and Jarrett Allen need to find a way to box out the Knicks’ big men every time around. The three-point shot will also be a huge factor in determining this matchup, as both New York and Cleveland attempted a total of 94 three-pointers in their last meeting.
During the first meeting, the Knicks took a big win on the road. Now, defending their home court, they must do the same if they want to earn a fifth straight win. Cleveland will certainly want revenge after losing the first matchup, yet New York has home-court advantage, and their stars have shone in the last few games. The Knicks will be tired from playing in a second game two days in a row, yet they must take advantage of beating great teams, especially this early in the season. New York certainly has the tools to win the first two matchups against Cleveland this season, but how rested will they be for tonight? I have the Knicks winning this one in a close score of 105-101. Brunson and Towns will continue to keep being the two stars New York will continue to rely on.
