Knicks make extra chances count against shorthanded Cavs

The Knicks didn’t need to stop every Donovan Mitchell scoring burst Saturday. They kept giving themselves extra chances to answer.

That was a major difference in their 109-97 win over the Cavs, with the defending champions turning 16 offensive rebounds into a 26-8 advantage in second-chance points.

As Matthew Miranda of Knicks On SI highlighted, that production helped the Knicks withstand Mitchell’s 37 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter.

An 18-point advantage on second chances is difficult to overcome under any circumstances. Without Jarrett Allen, and playing a night after beating the Sixers, the Cavs had considerably less margin for error.

They were also missing Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson. The Knicks were without Josh Hart, but hadn’t played since Wednesday.

None of that takes away from what the Knicks did. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Brunson added 31 points, nine assists and six boards.

Together, they totaled 12 assists against one turnover. That’s efficient work from the two players carrying most of the scoring responsibility.

Mitchell made the fourth quarter interesting, getting the Cavs within eight late. But the Knicks had enough answers to finish their fifth win in six games.

For the Cavs, this offered a practical reminder about finishing defensive possessions. It doesn’t require a sweeping conclusion about their playoff chances.

The Knicks earned the win. The Cavs will get another look at them Wednesday, hopefully with more help available.