3 Big & 3 Small Takeaways From Knicks' 109-97 Win vs. Cavaliers

The Knicks have won three straight games after their 109-97 win over the Cavs. It was their fifth straight victory vs. the Cavaliers, dating back to this past summer’s playoff run, and they’ve won seven of eight games against Cleveland since the start of last season.

The Knicks led by as many 19 points in the second half and managed to stave off the Donovan Mitchell fourth-quarter barrage. Thankfully for the Knicks, it came too late.

With the Knicks moving to above .500 for the first time this season, here are three big and three small takeaways from their win in Cleveland.

Big takeaway 1: Jalen Brunson is finding his stride

Jalen Brunson appears to have returned, for all of those who were worried. He started the game going 1-of-6 from the field in the first quarter, before checking back into the game in the second quarter and scoring 18 straight points for the Knicks.

Following his return from the bench in the second quarter, The Captain had 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting (3-of-5 from three) in the final three quarters. This isn’t something new, he’s put together back-to-back stellar performances offensively.

Over his last two games, Brunson is averaging 32.0 PPG on 52.4% shooting, while shooting 47.1% from three, as that comes out to a 66.4% TS%. Through his first seven games of the season, he was averaging 24.6 PPG on 39.3% shooting, posting a 33.3% 3P% and 50.7% TS% in those games.

Brunson played 34 minutes and 18 seconds for the Knicks in their third straight win on Saturday and the Knicks had a 132.3 offensive rating, 107.8 defensive rating, and +24.4 net rating in those minutes. In the 13:42 that Brunson sat on the bench on Saturday, the offense cratered to a 100.0 ORTG, while the defense still held up (107.7 DRTG).

Big takeaway 2: Skinny KAT is a different beast

This new version of Karl-Anthony Towns, a slimmed-down version of one of the biggest reasons the Knicks won a championship this past summer, might be his best version of himself. He set the tone early by forcing the issue in the paint, dominating his way to 14 first-quarter points (4-of-6 shooting, 5-of-5 from the line).

In fact, he got Evan Mobley in quick foul trouble and that forced Thomas Bryant into action more than he should’ve been—and he only played a role on Saturday with Jarrett Allen out of action with an injury. In the 7:08 where both KAT and Bryant shared the floor, the Knicks had a 140.0 ORTG and +11.4 NETRTG, while shooting 64.3% from the field. KAT himself had 14 points in those seven-plus minutes, going 6-of-7 from the field.

Towns recorded his ninth straight double-double to start the season, scoring 29 points, along with 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 33:58 of action. The Cavs simply couldn’t contain him in any way... he had five offensive rebounds, as the Knicks had a 31.3% OREB% with KAT on the floor.

Small takeaway 1: Andre Drummond kept the Knicks going

While Andre Drummond didn’t score a single point on Saturday, he did have eight rebounds, and the Knicks won his minutes by 10. In the 14:02 he was on the floor, the Knicks had a 145.8 ORTG, 96.2 DRTG, and +49.7 NETRTG.

He’s definitely learning that he’s much more beneficial to the Knicks’ process by just not shooting the ball and setting others up. His extra passes and offensive rebounds on Saturday were crucial, leading to a number of buckets for the Knicks. Also, they had a 42.9% OREB% with him on the floor.

There were still some rough possessions for him late in the fourth quarter. He had a traveling violation and a rough miss in the paint, but he did enough as the backup.

Big takeaway 3: Offensive rebounding dominance vs. Cavs

Speaking of rebounding, the Knicks did what they have done to the Cavs for years: They bullied them on the boards. It doesn’t matter if Tom Thibodeau or Mike Brown is the head coach of the Knicks... it’s always the same story.

The Knicks (53.3%) actually had a lower TS% than the Cavs (53.7%) on Saturday, but they significantly battered them on the boards, posting a 34.8% OREB% for the game, compared to Cleveland’s 23.3% OREB%.

The Knicks have well-documented offensive rebounding success against the Cavs. It began in the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round when Mitchell Robinson was a man among boys, and the Knicks had a 34.9% OREB% in that series win. It continued in this past summer’s Eastern Conference Finals, as the Knicks had a 28.0% OREB% in the sweep.

The Knicks have been a top 3 offensive rebounding team this season with their 31.9% OREB% to go along with their NBA-best 77.0% DREB%. “Possession-maxxing,” as the kids call it these days, helps you win games.

Small takeaway 2: It’s been a weird OG Anunoby season

Outside of the second quarter, it was a rough night for OG Anunoby in Cleveland on Saturday. He was 2-of-3 (all three-point attempts) in the second quarter and 2-of-10 from the field (1-of-6 from three) in all other quarters vs. the Cavs.

In general, it’s been a rough start to OG’s season after posting the best postseason shooting performance this century. He has a 55.8% TS%, shooting 38.0% from the field and 29.3% from beyond the arc. He had a 62.0% TS% last season, shooting just under 50% from the field (48.4%) and just under 40% from three (38.6%).

It’s just been a weird season, and the Knicks haven’t benefitted from him being on the court. They have a 112.8 ORTG, 115.6 DRTG, and -2.8 NETRTG in 601 possessions with him on the floor this season, compared to a 120.5 ORTG, 95.5 DRTG, and +25.0 NETRTG across 258 possessions with him off the floor.

Obviously, the Knicks need OG to be on his game if they want to repeat as champions, so it’s better for him to start slow than finish slow.

Small takeaway 2: Mohamed Diawara provided high impact

Shoutout to Mohamed Diawara. Nobody won their minutes more than Diawara on Saturday, as he was a team-high +16 in 14:09 on the floor in the team’s win. The Knicks had a 140.7 ORTG, 78.6 DRTG, and +62.2 NETRTG with him on the floor, compared to a 114.5 ORTG, 121.0 DRTG, and -6.5 NETRTG in the 33:51 he was on the bench.

Still, at some point, Diawara is going to need to start hitting his threes again. He was 0-of-3 from three on Saturday and is 1-of-8 (12.5%) from three on the season. One of the biggest developments from him last season was that he shot 36.9% from three when nobody thought he was going to be any type of shooter in Year 1 as an NBA player.

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