Late-Game Missteps Cost Cavaliers in Christmas Day Defeat to Knicks
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NEW YORK — A critical fast-break mistake with 1:45 remaining turned a potential three-point Cleveland lead into another narrow setback, as the Cavaliers surrendered a 17-point cushion and lost 126-124 to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day.
After a defensive stop, Donovan Mitchell sprinted ahead and received an outlet pass from Darius Garland with an open lane to the basket. Instead of finishing with a layup, Mitchell slowed for a two-handed dunk, allowing Knicks guard Tyler Kolek to chase him down and swat the shot from behind.
“I didn’t see him,” Mitchell told reporters. “I don’t slow up unless there’s nobody around. Credit to him — hell of a play. That’s winning basketball.”
The Cavaliers failed to score on the ensuing possession, and New York quickly reclaimed the lead, holding on the rest of the way. Head coach Kenny Atkinson did not mince words about the pivotal moment. “Lay it up, Don,” Atkinson said. “Lay it in off one foot. He knows.”
Cleveland slipped to 17-15, seventh in the Eastern Conference a year after posting the league’s best record. The defeat marked the latest in a series of close losses in which late-game execution has faltered.
“I wish I could be up here and say we won this game,” Atkinson added. “Disappointed in how we lost, but I’ve got a ton of confidence in this group.”
Atkinson pointed to lapses in concentration rather than physical shortcomings. “It starts with mentality,” he said. “Are you seeing your man? Are you crashing? Are you getting a hit first? Those are focus plays.”
Until those details improve, pressure will continue to mount on Cleveland’s core of Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen as the team tries to avoid the play-in tournament for the first time in the Mitchell era.
Source: Hoops Wire
