Knicks Takeaways from Monday's 106-86 win over the Cavaliers, including a strong start in the second half

Six Knicks finished in double figures in the victory

1/21/2020, 12:22 AM
undefinedDavid Richard
undefinedDavid Richard

After a tight first half, the Knicks came out firing on all cylinders to start the third quarter and knocked off the Cavaliers in Cleveland, 106-86, snapping a three-game losing streak. >> Box Score

Six things to know from Monday's game

1) The Knicks trailed by one at halftime, but opened up the second half on a 16-4 run, punctuated by a four-point play from Marcus Morris after he landed on Kevin Love's foot while draining a three-pointer. Though Morris initially remained in the game, he limped to the Knicks' locker room late in the third quarter. He returned in the fourth quarter, however, and finished with 19 points on 8-for-16 shooting.

The Cavaliers cut the Knicks' lead to six after Morris came out of the game, but New York ended the quarter on another run and headed to the fourth up by 15, 79-64. They kept their foot on the gas the rest of the way to come away with the comfortable victory. The Knicks spread the offense around, with six players finishing in double-figures.

 

2) Elfrid Payton started once again at point guard and contributed across the stat sheet. In 28 minutes he went for nine points, eight assists, six rebounds and two blocks.

3) Mitchell Robinson continues to be a defensive force off the bench for the Knicks, adding four blocks to his team-leading total. 

4) The Knicks the Cavs on the interior, outscoring Cleveland in the paint by a 56-34 margin.

5) Damyean Dotson did not see the floor in the Knicks' loss to the Sixers on Saturday, but responded with 12 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes in Monday's win. Both Dotson and Bobby Portis had a dozen points off the bench for the Knicks.

6) The Knicks kept the Cavaliers main scorers in check, holding Kevin Love to 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting. Collin Sexton led Cleveland with 17 points, but combined with backcourt partner Darius Garland to shoot 10-for-40 in the game.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks welcome the Lakers to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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