Garland rallies Cavs to 108-102 win over No. 3 seed Knicks, who finish 0-8 vs East's top 2 teams

By BRIAN MAHONEY

NEW YORK (AP) Darius Garland scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers' comeback from 23 points down for a 108-102 victory Friday night over the New York Knicks, who finished 0-8 against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks were locked into the No. 3 seed in the East during the game when the Indiana Pacers, resting all five starters, were routed by the Orlando Magic to end their hopes of passing New York.

But no matter where the Knicks finished, they look a step below the teams above them. The top-seeded Cavaliers completed a four-game sweep, just as the No. 2 Boston Celtics did with their overtime victory at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers played without All-Star Donovan Mitchell and key reserves Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter, but went with their other four starters.

Jalen Brunson scored 27 points for the Knicks, who rested All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns but otherwise had their regular starting lineup in their third straight loss.

The Knicks made 10 of their first 13 3-point attempts to open a 48-25 lead in the first half, but the Cavaliers outscored them 30-16 in the fourth quarter.

Cavaliers: Coach Kenny Atkinson said he believed that Mitchell, officially listed out for the third straight game with a sprained left ankle, would have been able to play Friday if the game mattered and said he would be ready to go for the playoff opener on April 20.

Knicks: The Knicks will have enough trouble with first-round opponent Detroit, the No. 6 seed that won the series 3-1, before worrying about the record against Cleveland or Boston.

Garland scored all Cleveland's points in an 11-6 surge that turned a three-point deficit into a 97-95 edge.

Cleveland is 16-4 in its last 20 games in the regular season in Madison Square Garden, though lost both in the Knicks’ victory in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

Cleveland faces Indiana again on Sunday. The Knicks will be in Brooklyn.

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