The Knicks took Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first round playoff series with the Cavaliers 101-97 as +5 point underdogs, but maybe that shouldn’t have been a surprise considering New York has now won four straight in the head to head series. Cleveland will try to tie things up on Tuesday night, because they do not want to go back to Madison Square Garden down 0-2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell<\/strong> won the battle of the coveted offseason acquisitions with 38 points in Game 1, but the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson<\/strong> won the war scoring 21 points in the 2nd half<\/a> and stepping up to hit big shots down the stretch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Knicks may be set up for success later in the series as they used a deep rotation and spread minutes out sparingly in Game 1, while Mitchell, Darius Garland<\/strong>, and Jarrett Allen<\/strong> all logged 40+ in the opener. New York coach Tom Thibodeau<\/strong> may have to tighten things up on Tuesday though, as one of the biggest bench sparks from Sunday, Josh Hart<\/strong> (17 points, 10 rebounds) sprained his ankle and is doubtful for Game 2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n