Friday night, and Nix He took a 2-1 series lead over the Cavaliers thanks to a 99-79 win at Madison Square Garden. In the process, New York did something very rare in the NBA in this day and age.
By holding Cleveland to 79 points, the Knicks became the first team all year to keep an opponent under 80 points. The last team to score fewer than 80 points in a game was the Heat in the playoffs last season.
The majority of New York’s defensive success came in the first half, as Cleveland scored just 32 points in the first 24 minutes of play. The Knicks kept their foot on the gas while defending in the second half, allowing their 47ers to complete a 20-point win over a Cavaliers team that had gone undefeated by that wide of the year.
The Cavaliers were the only team this season that didn’t lose a single 20-point lead.
No team has been below 80 points during the entire NBA campaign.
Until tonight, when the Knicks defeated the Cavs 99-79 at the Garden. pic.twitter.com/nd2wgDb6Q9
– ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 22, 2023
After both teams scored only 17 points in the first quarter, the Knicks passed 27 points in each of the next three while Cleveland fell short of 25.
The Cavaliers came into the playoffs averaging 112.5 points per game, which was 25th in the league and the second worst among playoff teams. Still, keeping the Knicks for a Cleveland team 30 points below their season average is no small feat.