Scheduled
Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls
2026-27 · Regular season
New York Knicks beat Cleveland Cavaliers 109-97 as Jalen Brunson scores 31
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 and 13 rebounds, and New York pulled away from Cleveland for a 109-97 win.
In this article
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points and 13 rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-97 at Rocket Arena on Saturday, November 7. New York improved to 5-4. Cleveland fell to 5-5.
Brunson shot 12-of-25 from the field and 4-of-5 at the line in 34 minutes, with 6 rebounds and 9 assists. He scored the Knicks’ next 18 points after Cleveland went up 39-34 in the second quarter. Towns went 11-of-21 and 5-of-5 at the line, with 5 of his rebounds coming on the offensive glass. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with a season-high 37 points.
Video: Knicks / X.
How it turned
The teams traded the lead through a tight first quarter. Evan Mobley opened the scoring at the line, and Thomas Bryant’s layup in the final minute put Cleveland ahead 27-26 after one.
Riley Minix’s three with 7:13 left in the second made it 39-34. Brunson answered with a three, two free throws, a 16-foot step-back and a 13-foot jumper that put New York ahead 43-42. After a Meleek Thomas three, Brunson hit a running jumper, a three-point play and a pullup that made it 52-47. Landry Shamet then drained a three on a Brunson assist, and OG Anunoby hit back-to-back threes to push the lead to 63-50. James Harden’s three just before the break made it 63-53 at halftime.
New York won the third quarter 25-17. Shamet’s jumper with 1:37 left in the period made it 88-69, the Knicks’ largest lead, and they took an 88-70 advantage into the fourth.
Mitchell scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and pulled Cleveland as close as 106-97 on a free throw with 1:27 remaining. Brunson had already answered a Mitchell burst with a 15-foot pullup that made it 104-92, and Mikal Bridges added a jumper before Anunoby closed it at the line.
Video: NBA / X.
The supporting cast
Anunoby scored 15 points. Jordan Clarkson added 9 off the bench, and Andre Drummond grabbed 8 rebounds in 14 minutes. New York won the boards 49-40, shot 13-of-14 at the line and assisted on 27 baskets. The Knicks played without Josh Hart (ankle).
Video: Knicks / X.
Cleveland’s side
Mitchell shot 13-of-22 from the field and 5-of-13 from three, going 6-of-11 at the line with 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 37 minutes. Mobley had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Peyton Watson scored 12. Harden finished with 7 points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Cleveland shot 16-of-50 from three and 11-of-19 at the line. The Cavaliers played without Jarrett Allen (knee), Jaylon Tyson (ankle) and Sam Merrill (elbow). Attendance was 19,432.
What’s next
The Knicks host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, November 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET (2:30 a.m. Wednesday Cairo time). The Cavaliers visit the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, November 9, at 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time).
Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.
Join the discussion
0 commentsTalk basketball. Keep it respectful. You can use a name or stay Anonymous. Comments publish immediately.
Be the first to start the conversation.