Jalen Brunson scores 31 to power Knicks past Cavs in rematch of last year's Eastern finalists
Knicks' Jalen Brunson drives to the basket around Peyton Watson of the Cavaliers during the second quarter on Nov. 07, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. Credit: Getty Images/Jason Miller
CLEVELAND — Jalen Brunson scored 31 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 as the Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 109-97, on Saturday night in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finalists.
Brunson scored 18 straight Knicks points in the second quarter to help the defending NBA champions take control. He added nine assists and drained a key jumper in the final three minutes as the Knicks held off Cleveland’s comeback.
Donovan Mitchell scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter for the Cavs.
It was the first meeting between the Knicks and Cavaliers since last season’s conference finals, which the Knicks swept. They blew out the Cavaliers by 37 points in Game 4 on their Rocket Arena home floor.
Before that game, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson drew criticism for saying his team was “analytically” winning the series. Six months later, Atkinson tried to clarify his remarks, saying that in no way was he implying that the Knicks weren’t better.
“They dominated it, and they did it again against San Antonio [in the Finals],” he said.
With Cleveland up 39-34, Brunson scored the Knicks’ next 18 points in a span of 4:09 to put them ahead 52-47. On their next possession, Brunson had his shot blocked, got the rebound, missed a reverse layup, got the rebound and fed Landry Shamet for a three-pointer to put the Knicks up 55-47.
