CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up their first playoff win without LeBron James since April 27, 1998, beating the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their first-round series, 107-90, on Tuesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The best-of-seven series is all even at a game apiece.
The playoff nerves that were evident in the Cavs' Game 1 loss on Saturday looked to have continued into the early stages of Game 2, as the Knicks opened up a 12-6 lead heading into the first TV timeout. The offense looked out of sync and not on the same page as Darius Garland committed two turnovers on lobs, while Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen had trouble finishing at the rim.
If that was the wake up call they needed, consider the Cavaliers woken up.
In his second career playoff game, Darius Garland seized the spotlight and toyed with the Knicks all night long, setting the tone from the start with his aggressive play while leading all players with 32 points, including 26 in the first half.
Donovan Mitchell played the decoy for much of the first half superbly, dishing out eight assists. The Cavaliers amassed a 20-point halftime lead, with Mitchell only totaling six of their points.
The Cavs tightened up their rotation in Game 2, as Dean Wade and Ricky Rubio did not see the floor. Isaac Okoro did not check in again after he was subbed out three minutes into the game when he picked up his second foul.
Danny Green saw action in Game 2 and blew the roof off of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, hitting a 3 as the Cavs grew their lead in the second quarter. Cleveland was able to contain Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson much more effectively Tuesday night, never letting him get into a flow on offense. He scored 20 points, but made less than 30% of his shots.
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Had it not been for Garland's magical performance, Caris LeVert could make a claim as the Cavs' most effective player in the win. Following a rough Game 1, LeVert scored 24 points while guarding Brunson on defense for much of the night.
As the clock wound down on the blowout, Knicks star Julius Randle went for a dunk before hitting the floor on a hard foul by Allen. Cleveland's center was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul and Randle made the free throw before heading to the locker room.
With the series now tied 1-1, the Cavaliers will look to build off of their momentum in Game 3 on Friday at basketball's most famous arena: Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.