NBA Matchups: May 19

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

Team Totals: Cavs 105, Knicks 112.5

Injury Report: OG Anunoby (P, hamstring), Larry Nance Jr. (Q, illness)

Cavs projected starters: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen (Note: Expecting Dean Wade to get back in the starting lineup over Max Strus)

Knicks projected starters: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns

Offensive Ranks: Cavs 8th (6th halfcourt), Knicks 4th (7th halfcourt)

Defensive Ranks: Cavs 15th (15th halfcourt),, Knicks 10th (14th halfcourt)

Season Series: 2-1 Knicks

Noteworthy Missed Games: Josh Hart (1), Deuce McBride (2), Mitchell Robinson (1), James Harden (2; Garland only played one), Max Strus (3)

Brown quotes: Said Anunoby went through practice and it’ll be up to medical, said he has a lot of respect for Atkinson to get his guys to battle through some seven-game series wins, said the Cavs are a dangerous offensive team, said it’s important for them to hit first and then make adjustments after that, said they have to put pressure on Mitchell and Harden “in all phases.” 

Atkinson quotes: Said Mitchell “was better than Donovan Mitchell” and he had complete control of the game, said he wanted to run the first team to Jarrett Allen, said if Ausar “is near the ball, throw it to somebody else,” said winning Game 5 and Game 7 on the road changed their mental makeup and it made them mentally stronger, said it was cool to have dinner with the owner before Game 7, said Dan Gilbert was the highest on Allen (Gilbert also texted Allen).

Team stats and notes:

*The rest advantage here is pretty wild. This month, the Cavs have three guys in the top four in total minutes (James Harden 524, Donovan Mitchell 503, and Evan Mobley 493), and the Knicks don’t have anyone in the top 22 (Jalen Brunson 347 minutes). The Cavs will play on every odd day in May until this series is over, while the Knicks have played in just four games this month so far. New York is just on fire with the top-ranked offense in the postseason, which is tied to their blistering 42.0% from deep. The Knicks also have the highest rim frequency in the playoffs, too. They are fourth in transition for the postseason and obviously lead the NBA in C&S eFG% by a ton (62.4; LAL 58.2). They’re first in isolation PPP and second in PNR handler PPP, dominating opponents on the ball. The Cavs just played two subpar offenses, and this will be their biggest test. However, Cleveland has been much better on the ball, ranking second in PNR handler PPP against, and they’ve held up OK on the boards. The Cavs do have some transition issues because of their turnovers, and they’ll need to take care of the ball better to keep the Knicks in the halfcourt. The Cavs have seen their offense turn the corner lately, and they’ve been much better on the offensive boards. Of course, rebounding will be a huge story with the Knicks being excellent there, and most of you guys remember Jarrett Allen’s “the lights were brighter than I expected” back in 2023. The Knicks are leading the postseason in TRB%, and the Cavs are 14th among 16 teams in defensive rebounding (Raptors, Suns). New York likely won’t be playing the aggressive style that the Cavs saw against the Pistons and Raptors. This should be a fun one.

Player stats and notes:

*Donovan Mitchell had a strong Game 7 with his 26/6/8 line after some underwhelming play in the last month. Mitchell killed the Knicks this year with a 29/5/5 line in just 33.4 MPG. In the game they had James Harden, Mitchell saw a mix of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, while Mikal was on him for the majority of the year in this series. Mitchell only had 23 points in 31 minutes during a blowout win with Harden next to him. I’d expect Mikal to get the assignment, and more offense should run through Donovan with the Knicks controlling tempo more than in the previous matchups. Mitchell hasn’t been nearly as efficient this postseason with a 54.7 TS% after two stellar runs of 57.0 TS% and 58.4 TS% in the last two. His usage is also way down compared to those years at 30.4% (34.5 last year, 33.2% two years ago). It’s tough to get a read on him with some poor play in the last month, but at least he’s not going to see Ausar Thompson this round. I’d expect him to play well.