Knicks takeaways from Friday's 130-116 win over Cavaliers, including a Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell duel

In a potential first-round playoff matchup, the Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-116 on Friday night.

Obi Toppin got the start with Julius Randle out for at least two weeks with an ankle sprain. Toppin was joined by Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup.

Here are the takeaways….

-  Toppin hit his first shot, a three, on the team’s first possession and the Knicks were off and running. The Cavs matched the Knicks whenever they scored and the two were locked in midway through the first quarter. Cleveland would pull away a bit thanks to Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell blocked a layup attempt from Barrett that led to a Caris LeVert three to put the Cavs up 22-16 with 6:26 to go. The Knicks would climb back but in a case of “is it poor defense or elite shooting?” both squads would start draining shots. Whenever Mitchell and the Cavs looked to pull away, Brunson would bring the Knicks back. It would continue like this until Immanuel Quickley’s buzzer-beater three capped off a 47-42 quarter in favor of Cleveland.

Mitchell was terrific, scoring 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting including 3-of-4 from three. Brunson put up 21 points (a career best for a quarter) on 8-of-11 shooting. It’s the highest combined first quarter score in the NBA this season. That’s thanks to 63 percent (Knicks) and 74 percent (Cavs) shooting in the quarter.

- The Knicks' second unit of Barrett, Quickley, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein and Miles McBride started the second quarter. The defensive intensity was better with both secondary units in the opening minutes of the quarter, but that would change quickly. The Knicks would take the lead at 57-56 with seven minutes to go. It was their first lead since it was 11-9. The turning point of the quarter was when Mitchell was called for a charge on Hart to give the scorer three fouls. He had to be benched for the rest of the second. The Knicks took advantage, building to a 79-72 lead at the half with Robinson tipping in a Quickley miss at the buzzer.

Brunson scored 33 points in the first half, a career-high for a half. The Knicks continued their hot shooting, as they shot 63 percent in the second. The Cavs’ percentage went down to 42 percent. Mitchell went into the half with 26 points. Toppin, who started the first nine minutes of the game, never came back in as Hart would play the majority of the minutes with both units.

- The third quarter felt different in the defensive intensity especially from Cleveland with a lot of blocks and physicality down low. This allowed the Cavs to cut into the Knicks' lead. There was a tense moment between Barrett and Toppin on their bench in the quarter, but they seemingly squashed it on the court. Toppin was on the floor for most of the quarter and made his presence felt with his athletic ability down low. Forced turnovers that led to fast break points helped the Knicks build their lead back. Some clutch three-pointers and offensive rebounds brought the Cavs to within 105-102 after three.

It was a reverse of the second quarter for the Knicks as they shot just 36 percent to the Cavs' 57 percent. Brunson had 40 points after three and it's his fourth 40-point performance of the year. Mitchell had 38 points after three.

- With Brunson on the bench to start the fourth, the unit of Hart, McBride, Hartenstein, Quickley and Barrett did a lot of damage especially on the defensive end. Hart started to guard Mitchell and held him in check for most of Cleveland's possessions. With eight minutes remaining, the Knicks held their largest lead of the game at 119-104 after a 14-0 run. Brunson returned with seven minutes remaining to finish the game. It looked like the Knicks were about to ice the game away, but Brunson missed two free throws, and the Cavs answered with a three. A defensive stop and easy dunk later and Cleveland trailed just 123-116 with 3:09 remaining. Brunson made up for his missed free throws by driving in for a layup and sinking a three to put the Knicks' lead back to double digits. Some defensive stops put the game away and the Knicks pulled out an impressive 130-116 victory.

Brunson had a career night, scoring 48 points on 18-of-32 shooting. There were seven Knicks in double figures including Brunson, Barrett (14), Toppin (12), Robinson (10), Grimes (14), Hart (11) and Quickley (14). Hartenstein had five points and nine rebounds, but his defensive presence under the cylinder was immeasurable.

The Knicks' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now one.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks have a day off before returning home to play the Washington Wizards on Sunday, April 2 at 6 p.m.