Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 — and a critical final rebound — and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.
Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland’s late rally led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Brunson missed a pullup with nine seconds left and Randle bailed out New York with his 10th rebound — and the team’s 17th offensive board — that led to Quentin Grimes making two free throws to seal the win.
How the Knicks stole Game 1 from the Cavs pic.twitter.com/fZzabiRZZF
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) April 16, 2023
That was an old school playoff game right there. The physicality of that game was some Special to watch. Shoutout to Thibs for having the Knicks ready defensively… holding a talented Cavs team to just 97 points was beyond IMPRESSIVE!!!! Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 16, 2023