Darius Garland scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers erased a massive deficit to defeat the New York Knicks 108-102 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Cavaliers, who were without Donovan Mitchell and two key rotation players, trailed by 23 early but outscored New York 30-16 in the final period to improve to 64-17 and complete a four-game season sweep.
Garland fueled an 11-6 run in the fourth that turned a three-point hole into a lead the Cavaliers never gave back, handing the Knicks their third consecutive loss.
New York dropped to 50-31 and remained winless (0-8) against Cleveland and Boston, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting, but no other New York starter reached 20 points as the team shot just 40.9% from the field.
The Cavaliers’ comeback was sparked by increased defensive intensity and key contributions from their bench, including 15 points from Isaac Okoro and 11 from Craig Porter Jr.
Max Strus added 19 points for Cleveland, hitting five threes, while Jarrett Allen dominated the glass with 13 rebounds.
The Knicks shot 10-for-13 from deep in the opening frame and built a 48-25 lead early in the second quarter before Cleveland methodically chipped away.
By halftime, New York’s lead had been cut to 62-50, and the Cavaliers stayed within striking distance before Garland took over late.
Despite missing All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, New York went with its regular starters, including OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who combined for 32 points but struggled in the second half.
The Knicks will now prepare for a first-round matchup against the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons, who took three of four in the regular season series.
With one regular season game remaining, Cleveland holds the best record in the East, while New York’s seeding is locked in regardless of Sunday’s results.
Garland finished with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting and added 13 assists with just three turnovers, controlling the offense in Mitchell’s absence.
Cleveland shot 49.4% from the floor and outrebounded New York 49-35, including a 13-10 edge on the offensive boards.
