Behind the numbers of the Cavs’ hellacious night against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cavs spent 48 minutes in offensive hell on Friday evening.

Horrific capturing percentages. Brash defenses. New Yorkers bearing down in unison on a younger workforce that’s largely nonetheless getting their ft moist within the spectacle that’s playoff basketball. Composure was examined as each groups slugged by means of the muck. The end result was a sport that spiraled uncontrolled because the Knicks defeated the Cavs, 99-79, inside a fervent Madison Sq. Backyard on Friday evening.

Beneficial Cavs tales

Cleveland pulled even by means of the primary quarter tidal wave of raucous cheering and bitter boos. However their offense was traditionally atrocious within the first half. A efficiency that would depart some in a 30-point gap, left the Cavs in a double-digit deficit that proved an excessive amount of among the many chaos.

Right here’s a deeper have a look at how the Knicks defeated the Cavs in Sport 3, by the numbers:

The Cavs had been solely down 13 factors (45-32) at halftime after weathering what may be described as an entire catastrophe on the offensive finish. Cleveland shot 31% from the sector, together with 2 of 19 from past the arc. The Knicks additionally crawled to the break, capturing 42% from the sector, together with 4 of 19 from deep. Cleveland had 12 turnovers.

“I feel, early on, it was the nerves,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff stated. “As the sport progressed, I feel it was extra about belief than something. We stopped trusting and doing the correct factor, and simply tried to do so much on our personal. As soon as that occurs, it begins to leak into our protection. We aren’t in our spots. We aren’t doing the issues we have to do to get the stops that we all know we’re able to getting.”

The Cavs completed 38.8% from the sector and seven of 33 from past the arc with 20 turnovers, which the Knicks changed into 28 factors. The Cavs are permitting probably the most factors off turnovers within the playoffs, averaging 27.7 per sport.

It was their third-worst capturing proportion, fourth-worst 3-point proportion and their second-highest variety of turnovers this season.

After an Isaac Okoro 3-pointer put the Cavs forward 24-23 with 8:59 left within the second quarter, the Knicks reeled off a 15-3 run. Cleveland by no means led after that.

Each groups had 17 factors within the first quarter. Neither workforce had 10 factors by the 5:12 mark. Each groups mixed to shoot 29.7% within the opening 12 minutes.

Taking part in in his first highway playoff sport, Darius Garland had one in every of his worst video games of his profession. He went 4 of 21 from the sector, together with 1 of seven from 3-point vary. At one level, Garland was 2 of 17 general and 0 of 6 from deep. He completed with 10 factors, 4 steals, three assists and two rebounds.

Evan Mobley continues to lock down one of many Knicks’ most potent weapons. In accordance with NBA.com participant monitoring matchup information, in 7:57 matchup minutes in Sport 3, Mobley held Julius Randle to simply 5 factors on 1 of 8 from the sector, together with 1 of 6 from past the arc. It continues to a robust development within the collection the place the Cavs 7-footer has fully negated Randles impression within the collection. In three video games and 22:52 matchup minutes, he has held him to 7 of 31 from the sector and three of 14 from past the arc, together with 5 turnovers.

Caris LeVert was inserted into the Cavs’ beginning lineup in hopes of an offensive injection. That didn’t change his defensive prowess, which has slowed down Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. It was extra of the identical in Sport 3. In 7:28 whereas being guarded by LeVert, Brunson was held to 4 factors on 2 of seven from the sector, together with 0 for two from past the arc.

After scoring 21 factors on a mixed 6 of 25 capturing in Video games 1 and a pair of, Knicks capturing guard RJ Barrett broke out of his mini stoop with 19 factors on 8 of 12 from the sector. He additionally added eight rebounds and three assists.

In accordance with NBA.com participant monitoring information, Barrett was 5 of 6 on photographs lower than 10 ft and seven of 11 when taking lower than seven dribbles. He touched the ball lower than seven seconds on all 12 of his shot makes an attempt. He’s capturing 14 of 37 within the collection.

In three video games, the Cavs’ bench has been outscored 104-64. One other woeful displaying on Friday evening (39-14) gave the reserve unit their second 14-point outing of the collection. LeVert and Cedi Osman have mixed for 42 of the 64 bench factors.

The Cavs had been the one workforce this season that didn’t undergo a 20-point loss. Cleveland had solely misplaced by double-digits 12 occasions this season. No workforce had been held underneath 80 factors in the whole NBA season, in response to ESPN stats and Data. Their earlier low was 81 factors towards the Knicks again on Dec. 4 – their ninth-worst lack of the season (11 factors). The Knicks are additionally accountable for handing the Cavs their fifth-worst lack of the season on Mar. 31 (14 factors).

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