Knicks Lose Josh Hart, Lead in Loss to Undefeated Cavs

The New York Knicks' Monday night loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers proved painful in more ways than one.

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

Monday night proved painful for the New York Knicks in more ways than one.

A physical showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden not only failed to land in the hosts' favor, as the visitors prevailed by a 110-104 final, but New York was forced to finish the game without Josh Hart, who asked for a substitute for the final minutes after a collision with Caris LeVert.

Prior to his departure, Hart paired 16 points with 13 rebounds, posting a double-double along with Karl-Anthony Towns (13 points on 3-of-7, 10 rebounds before fouling out) for the second consecutive game. That and more, however, wasn't enough to give the Knicks (1-2) a win in their first close game of the season.

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts after an injury during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

Cleveland (4-0) remained undefeated despite falling behind by as much as 13, as it was able to claw its way back thanks to a sterling showcase from Darius Garland, who led all scorers with 34 points. Of that tally, 15 came in the final period as the Cavaliers pulled away. Jarrett Allen was right behind him with 15 points and rebounds each while recurring Knicks target Donovan Mitchell scored 24 in his return to the Empire State.

Things fell out of the Knicks' favor once the game transitioned away from a rough-and-tumble brouhaha into a more contentional scoring affair: New York notably pulled in 11 offensive rebounds during the first half but mustered only two with Hart taking several blows in the process.

Both Hart and Mikal Bridges (who continued his sterling shooting with 19 points on 9-of-14 from the field) had four offensive rebounds apiece, helping the Knicks score 20 in second opportunities. That also helped them build a healthy six-point lead by halftime despite Jalen Brunson shooting 4-of-11 from the field. The Knicks scored 34 points in the second after shooting less than 32 percent in the first dozen minutes, including 2-of-10 from three-point range.

But after OG Anunoby hit a three-pointer that created the Knicks' aforementioned biggest lead with 4:29 left in the third, Cleveland announced its comeback intentions with a 15-6 run to close the frame. That run eventually yielded a 10-2 tally in the first 2:10 of the fourth, as consecutive triples from Georges Niang and Mitchell provided their first lead of the second half.

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) reacts during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

The Knicks got the lead back with a Miles McBride triple but never went ahead again after a Garland counter. Brunson finished the day with 21 points but needed an 8-of-24 output to get there, including 3-of-9 in the fourth.

Cleveland, which entered the night as one of four remaining undefeated NBA teams, is off to its best start since its title defense after the 2016 NBA Finals. The Cavs return to MSG for the penultimate game of the regular season on Apr. 11 after a pair of matchups at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

In the meantime, the Knicks will now embark on a four-game road trip, one that begins on Wednesday night in Miami (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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