CLEVELAND (AP) – Julius Randel He joked about being unfit and Josh Hart walked into the post-match press conference T-shirt with a colleague’s photo Galen Bronson In the foreground.
The Knicks can finally relax.
Finally in full force, and after a troubling few weeks, the New York season is looking a lot brighter.
Bronson shook off a foul problem and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle came back from an ankle injury to add 19 — and a crucial final rebound — and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back into the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 Saturday Night in Game 1 .
Bronson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks restarted Cleveland’s late All-Star drive. Donovan Mitchellwho finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Bronson missed a touchdown with nine seconds left, and Randle saved New York with his 10th fumble—and the team’s 17th offensive board—that led to Quentin Grimes Made two free throws to win.
“You can’t say enough about the monster rebound that Julius hit in the end,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “That bounce was huge. Huge.”
Randle hasn’t played since March 29 due to a sprained left ankle, and said he’s thankful he had enough energy for one last jump.
“Do you see me blowing air out there today?” said Randle, who played 34 minutes. “I was so tired. But it was just about winning at that stage.”
Randle was reminded that the Knicks had a similar play in Game 1 against Atlanta in 2021 but didn’t get the ball out.
“It’s funny how things are,” he said, “isn’t it.”
Game two will take place on Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Mitchell scored 14 points for fourth place, but it wasn’t enough for the young Cavs, who disappointed a boisterous Cleveland crowd that hasn’t seen a playoff game since the 2018 NBA Finals.
It’s been a long road to Cleveland’s comeback, which hasn’t hurt as much from its inexperience as a lack of production off the bench.
“First, it’s not the end of the world. We’ve got to go get one back in the back,” Mitchell said. “There’s no place to sit here and feel sorry or feel bad and get off. It’s one game. We will respond.”
Hart added 17 points—and hit a big three-pointer—and 10 rebounds in his first playoff game with New York, whose reserves edged Cleveland 37-14.
Darius Garland scored 17 points, Garrett Allen had 14 points, and Cleveland had 14 rebounds. Evan Mobley scored eight points from 4 of 13.
Randle missed New York’s last five games after spraining his ankle on March 29, and the injury threatened to scuttle New York’s playoff hopes. However, this week he has improved despite not making much contact in practice and looking like himself from the start.
Raise his Nix presence.
“Seeing No. 30 out there was just an amazing sight,” said Obi Tobin, who scored nine points in the third quarter.
Bronson made his second error with 7:52 remaining in the first quarter, and Thibodeau had no choice but to replace the guard, who scored a career-high 48 points against the Cavs on March 31—the first game Randle missed.
Bronson’s egregious problem had Hart worried he had made a poor fashion choice.
“I told him I would wear it sometime,” Hart said. “Then it gets into stinky trouble the day I put it on, so I’m going to burn it and never wear it again.”
The Cavs didn’t take advantage with Bronson out as New York grabbed 10 straight points and led 30-24 after one.
Bronson returned to the bench with his third fumble at the halfway point of the second. Once again, Cleveland failed to capitalize and led the Knicks 50-45 at the half.
Scary moment
Mitchell landed hard on his lower back after jumping off a table on the court and landed several rows into the bleachers while making a save on a loose ball in the second quarter.
He winced in pain as he helped him behind him and fell back to the ground. Mitchell then thanked the fans who cushioned his fall during a later timeout.
“I jumped on them on purpose, but they moved,” said Mitchell, who had a minor cut on his arm. I don’t blame them. Maybe I would do the same. It’s all love.”
New York state of mind
The Knicks have dominated the Cavs in the postseason, winning all of the previous three playoff series.
New York swept a three-game series in 1978 at the Coliseum in Richfield, won 3-1 in 1995 at Gund Arena and swept the best-of series in 1996.
Tip-ins
NYX: Impossible to miss while superfans wear Spike Lee in bright orange New York. … scored seven offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.
Cavaliers: Mitchell is the fourth Clevelandian to score at least 38 in a playoff game, joining LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Brad Dougherty. … Cleveland hosted its 81st playoff game in the building, formerly Gund Arena and Quicken Loans Arena. … Four teams have postseason winning records in the arena — the Knicks (5-0), Spurs (2-0), Warriors (6-4) and Cavs (57-24). … Browns star Miles Garrett and head coach Kevin Stefanski sat near the Cleveland bench alongside Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.
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