Knicks make early statement with win over Cavaliers in coach Mike Brown's debut

NEW YORK – Even though most of them won’t admit it openly, the mindset of the 2025-26 New York Knicks is to break through and get to the NBA Finals ... and win a championship.

The Knicks have a few things in common with their season-opening opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers – who had the Eastern Conference’s best record in 2024-25 – besides just title aspirations.

Both teams were eliminated in the postseason by the Indiana Pacers, who will be without the services of Tyrese Haliburton as he makes his way back from an Achilles injury. With the Pacers star seemingly sidelined for the year, the Cavaliers and Knicks began their season-long jockeying for home-court advantage Wednesday.

New York certainly made its presence felt, mixing in elements from new head coach Mike Brown and its old one, Tom Thibodeau.

OG Anunoby had 24 points and 14 rebounds, leading five Knicks in double figures as New York used a decisive fourth quarter to beat the Cavaliers 119-111 in their home opener at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

Jalen Brunson had 23 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns, who played with a tender quad injury, added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mikal Bridges scored 16, and Miles McBride had 15 off the bench.

The faster pace is the most obvious difference, as Brown has said he planned to play more up-tempo, creating easy looks and more 3-point shots. Last season, New York attempted only 34.1 3-point shots per game; it shot 21 in the first half alone Wednesday, using a 19-3 second-quarter run to blow the game open.

The Knicks also used that aggressiveness in driving to the basket, leading to 36 free throw attempts. Cleveland, which started last season winning its first 15 games, only had 18 shots from the charity stripe.

Cleveland, which had the league’s most efficient offense last season, was missing two key contributors, Darius Garland and Max Strus, and it showed in the first half as the Cavs at times looked lost on offense. But Donovan Mitchell came out of the halftime locker room on fire, scoring 21 of his 31 points in the third quarter as New York’s defense had no answer for him. His 3-pointer with 1:30 left in the quarter gave Cleveland its first lead since the first quarter, with the Knicks picking the wrong time to go cold, shooting 29.2% in the third.

Towns’ three-point play with 10:42 left gave the Knicks the lead for good, part of a game-changing 14-0 run, and New York used its size to bully its way to a 48-32 rebounding advantage, and a 12-point advantage in the paint.

Neither team was at full strength as the Knicks were without center Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management) and Josh Hart (lower back spasms), and the Cavs also played without De’Andre Hunter, still nursing a knee injury. That forced both coaches to dig deep into their benches. Eleven players saw action for New York, and Cleveland used 10 players.

Evan Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, hit four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points and eight rebounds. Sam Merrill, who helped the Cavaliers in their third-quarter push, scored 16.

Knicks vs. Cavaliers highlights

End 3: Knicks 87, Cavaliers 87

It was the Donovan Mitchell and Sam Merrill show in the third quarter for Cleveland. Mitchell scored the first 11 points of the quarter for the Cavaliers, and Merrill added eight more, including two 3-pointers, to slice the Knicks' 15-point halftime lead to seven with five minutes left in the quarter. Tyrese Proctor’s 3-pointer and an Evan Mobley free throw got Cleveland within three points.

The Knicks went ice cold, and Mitchell’s 3-pointer with 1:30 left in the quarter gave Cleveland its first lead since the first quarter. Mitchell scored 21 points in the third.

Halftime: Knicks 65, Cavaliers 50

The Cavaliers had a 16-2 run in the second quarter, but the Knicks still enjoy a 15-point lead at intermission. Cleveland is led by Evan Mobley, who had 16 points, and three rebounds in the first half. New York is pushing the tempo, has hoisted 21 3-pointers, and is controlling the boards. They countered Cleveland's run with a 19-3 spurt to take control. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson have 12 points each for New York, who are shooting 47 percent for the half. The teams have combined for 43 3-point attempts.

New look Knicks in control early

The Knicks are already looking like a different team under new head coach Mike Brown, emphasizing player and ball movement, which has led to easy 3-point attempts in the first quarter. New York leads 33-23 after the first 12 minutes, having already attempted 11 shots from downtown.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who was questionable to play with a quad injury, started the game and scored four early points, but found himself on the bench within five minutes after being whistled for two quick fouls. New York was hot early, using a 12-0 run to take an early seven-point lead. Mikal Bridges then took over, scoring seven straight points, the last on a jumper leading to Evan Mobley, the reigning defensive player of the year, getting his second foul.

Mobley led Cleveland in the first quarter, with eight points, including two 3-pointers. The Cavaliers, who were #1 in offensive efficiency last season, shot 38 percent in the quarter.

Knicks starting lineup