Immanuel Quickley fell face down on the track and made a swim with his arms and legs after nailing his third of five triples on Friday night.
The rookie leading scorer helped the Knicks bounce back upstream after three straight losses to end their recent road trip, scoring 25 points in 23 minutes off the bench, including 14 in the fourth quarter, in a 102- win. 81 about Cleveland in the garden.
The Knicks (9-11) kept star great man Andre Drummond with just four points (albeit with 15 rebounds) in another strong defensive effort, despite nine combined fouls between centers Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel.
Darius Garland scored 24 points for the Cavaliers, who scored just 37 in the first half and 55 in three quarters. The 81 points were the second fewest points the Knicks have allowed this season, behind the 75 they held for the Celtics on Jan. 17.
RJ Barrett contributed 24 points, Austin Rivers added 13 off the bench and Julius Randle finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who will face the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Sunday.
Quickley, who continues to press starting point Elfrid Payton (two points in 23 minutes) for game time, also converted the Knicks ’first 4-point play of the season with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. The 25-year-old Kentucky general team had shot just 1-on-11 since the loss in Tuesday’s loss to Utah, a game after hitting a 31-game high in the previous race in Portland.
Robinson had said before the game that he was focused on his clash with Drummond, who dominated in a 106-103 win over the Knicks on Jan. 15 with 33 points and 23 rebounds.
“Oh, definitely. Tonight I will play much smarter. I’m going to go out here and look for him, give my best, ”said Robinson, who scored six points and committed five fouls on Friday night.
Robinson was also less than 15 in Tuesday’s loss to Utah and outscored All-Star center Rudy Gobert (18 points and 19 rebounds).
Asked if he plans to eventually put numbers like Drummond and Gobert, Robinson added, “I know I can defend. I don’t really compare myself to other players. I mean, I’m worried about our team. Other players, they can talk about anything they want to talk about. “I’m just talking about us as Knicks.”
The Knicks missed eight nine-pointers and saw Cleveland with a quick 13-3 lead, but Rivers and Quickley combined a dozen points during a 16-4 run with a two-point lead at the end of the quarter.
Randle didn’t attempt a field goal until four minutes left in the second quarter, but his 19-foot jump, two Robinson dunks, put the Knicks in a 38-31 lead. Two units and a corner from Barrett extended the Knicks ’lead to 14, leading to a 47-33 lead at halftime.
Drummond had just four points in the half, but Noel was whistled for three fouls and Robinson had two, prompting the first appearance of veteran big man Gib Gibson, albeit for just a minute, since signing to return to the Knicks on January 7th. .
The Cavs shot just 29 percent from the ground and were 2-for-10 from 3 points away through two quarters, but Sexton and Garland combined 16 points in a 19-2 increase to open the third to help narrow the gap to 52-49.
The Knicks warmed up again with a 12-1 run to close out the fourth, however, including a base goal for a three-point play from Quickley and a three-point finish by the rookie keeper for an advantage. of 72-55 entering the quarter.