NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 21: Trevor Keels #3 of the New York Knicks battles Cedi Osman #16 of the Cleveland Cavaliers for a loose ball during game three of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 21, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images/ Jamie Squire
NEW YORK CITY, NY--- A poor shooting performance at Madison Square Garden from the Cavs have now put them down 2-1 in the series after getting blown out by the Knicks Friday night 99-79. JB Bickerstaff would elevate Caris LeVert into the starting lineup after dropping 24 points in game 2.
Judging by the first quarter you would think the game would be another nail biter, with the score at the end of the quarter knotted up at 17, with the defense for both teams being extremely prevalent with the Cavs shooting 33% from the field and the Knicks shooting 26%. Another note from that first quarter is that the Cavs would end it on a 5-0 run. As the second quarter started, the Knicks started to take control, the Cavs at one point were up 24-23, but after that, the Knicks would outscore the Cavs 22-8. The 3 point shooting in the first half for the Cavs was poor to say the least, making only 2 of 19 attempts from behind the arc, shooting 31% from the field as a whole. New York would take a 45-32 lead to the locker room at the half.
The second half would see Caris LeVert start to heat up with 3 pointers around midway through the 3rd quarter, with LeVert finishing with 17 points ( a majority of those coming in the second half), but Cleveland as a team only made 21% of their 3 pointers attempted Friday night. The New York faithful were loud game, but you could notice it heavily at the end of the 3rd quarter with the Knicks leading by 17 at 72-55, the fans would feed the Knicks' 4th quarter takeover. RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson were the leaders for New York tonight not only showing up scoring, but were a very dominate defensive presence, especially Barrett, who would finish with 19 points while pulling in 8 rebounds. Brunson would finish with 21 points, dish out 6 assists and pull in 4 rebounds. Something to look out for ahead of game 4 still in New York is Darius Garland's left ankle, he stayed down during a possession and was attempting to tighten up his left shoe has much as possible, eventually limping off the court to the bench during free throws. Garland would stay in the game and finish with 10 points.
Down 2-1, the Cavs will stay in New York to play Sunday afternoon at 1 pm for game 4. You can listen live on WTAM 1100 AM, 106.9 FM, the free iHeartRadio app, and HERE