Knicks beat Cavaliers 109-97 behind Brunson's 31

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points and the Knicks beat the Cavaliers 109-97 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, the AP reported.

New York led by five after three quarters and pulled away in the fourth, holding Cleveland to 21 points in the final period. ESPN’s game log showed the Knicks outscoring the Cavaliers 28-21 in the frame.

The Cavaliers came in with the best record in the Eastern Conference. The win moves the Knicks into a tie for second place.

What the coverage missed

The fourth-quarter defense is the number that matters. Cleveland scores 116 points per game. The Knicks held them to 21 in the final 12 minutes. That is not a scoring run by New York — it is a defensive stop, repeated.

Brunson is averaging 28 points through the first two weeks of the season. He is doing it without forcing shots. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 3.5 to 1. The Knicks’ offense runs through him and it is not sticky.

What I think

The Knicks are the second-best team in the East, and it is not close. Brunson is playing like a top-10 player in the league, and the roster around him fits. They have shooting, they have size, and they guard people.

The Cavaliers are still the team to beat in the East, but this game exposed something. When Brunson gets into the paint, Cleveland’s bigs have to help, and the kickouts are open. The Knicks will see them again in the playoffs, and that matchup is going to be a problem.