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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Knicks Match Player Stats & Highlights

Ulrika Mannberg

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cleveland cavaliers vs knicks match player stats

The Cleveland Cavaliers vs Knicks match player stats from the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals tell a one-sided story: New York swept Cleveland 4-0 behind Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and a deep supporting cast. This guide breaks down every box score from that series, ranks the top performers, compares the team numbers, and previews what to watch when the two teams meet again on November 7, 2026. Every figure comes from published box scores on Basketball Reference, Yahoo Sports, and CBS Sports, so you can check each number yourself.

Quick answer: In their most recent meetings, the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight games. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers in the series with 109 points (27.3 per game), Jalen Brunson added 102 points and 31 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 12.0 rebounds. The two teams have not played yet in the 2026-27 regular season.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Knicks Match Player Stats From the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals

The New York Knicks won all four games against Cleveland by an average margin of about 19 points. The series opened at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 2026, and ended in Cleveland on May 25 with a 130-93 Knicks win. New York outscored the Cavaliers 475 to 398 across the four games, which works out to 118.8 points per game against 99.5.

The result carried real weight. According to CBS Sports, the sweep sent the Knicks back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Cleveland’s core of Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen could not win a single game in the matchup.

Game-by-game results and top scorers

The table below shows the final score and the two leading scorers from each game.

GameDateSiteFinalTop scorers
1May 19New YorkKnicks 115, Cavaliers 104 (OT)Brunson 38, Mitchell 29
2May 21New YorkKnicks 109, Cavaliers 93Hart 26, Mitchell 26
3May 23ClevelandKnicks 121, Cavaliers 108Brunson 30, Mobley 24
4May 25ClevelandKnicks 130, Cavaliers 93Mitchell 31, Towns 19

Game 1 Player Stats: Brunson Scores 38 as New York Wins in Overtime

Jalen Brunson scored 38 points on 15-of-29 shooting to carry the Knicks to a 115-104 overtime win in Game 1. He played 46 minutes and 24 seconds, added six assists and three steals, and made 7 of 10 free throws.

Mitchell answered for Cleveland with 29 points on 12-of-23 shooting and six steals. Mobley recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Sam Merrill gave the bench 12 points. Harden struggled from the field, finishing 5-of-16 with 15 points and a 1-of-8 mark from three-point range.

The Knicks leaned on balance. Mikal Bridges scored 18 on 7-of-11 shooting. Towns posted 13 points and 13 rebounds, and OG Anunoby and Josh Hart each scored 13. New York also won the rebounding battle 47 to 38.

Game 2 Player Stats: Hart and Brunson Control Madison Square Garden

Josh Hart led all scorers in Game 2 with 26 points as the Knicks won 109-93. He shot 10-of-21 and hit five three-pointers, his best offensive night of the series.

Brunson scored 19 points and handed out a series-high 14 assists. Bridges also scored 19 on an efficient 9-of-12, and Towns added 18 points with 13 rebounds. That gave New York four players with at least 18 points.

Cleveland got 26 points from Mitchell, 18 from Harden, and a 13-point, 10-rebound game from Allen. The team still shot 9-of-35 from deep, a 25.7 percent mark. New York led 53-49 at halftime, then outscored Cleveland 32-21 in the third quarter to take control.

Game 3 Player Stats: Balanced Knicks Offense Wins in Cleveland

Four Knicks scored at least 14 points in Game 3, which New York won 121-108 on the road. Brunson led the way with 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 10 of 12 at the free throw line.

Bridges scored 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting, and Anunoby added 21 on 6-of-10. Landry Shamet came off the bench for 14 points and made four of his five three-point attempts. Hart contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, and four steals.

Cleveland scored its most points of the series. Mobley scored 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, Mitchell scored 23, Harden added 19, and Allen scored 17 on 7-of-9 shooting. The difference came at the line and in transition. New York made 24 of 27 free throws, while Cleveland made 12 of 19. The Knicks also led 37-27 after the first quarter.

Game 4 Player Stats: Towns and Shamet Close Out the Sweep

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds as New York closed the series with a 130-93 win, the largest margin of the four games. New York led 38-26 after one quarter and never let the game get close.

Anunoby added 17 points and seven rebounds. Shamet scored 16 off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-4 from three-point range, and Miles McBride chipped in 11. Brunson and Bridges scored 15 apiece in limited minutes, because the lead let the starters rest. Hart filled the box score with 11 rebounds and six assists.

Mitchell finished with 31 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including five threes. The rest of the Cleveland lineup could not match him. Harden went 2-of-8 from the field and missed all six of his three-point attempts, and Cleveland shot 32-of-77 as a team. The Knicks outrebounded the Cavaliers 60 to 33.

Series Averages for the Top Players

Mitchell averaged the most points of any player in the series, and Brunson was the only other player above 25 per game. The table shows how the six leading players performed across all four games.

PlayerTeamPointsReboundsAssists
Donovan MitchellCavaliers27.33.52.3
Jalen BrunsonKnicks25.53.37.8
Mikal BridgesKnicks18.54.32.8
Evan MobleyCavaliers17.08.33.0
James HardenCavaliers16.04.83.0
Karl-Anthony TownsKnicks15.812.04.0

Two details stand out. First, Towns recorded double-doubles in Games 1, 2, and 4, and his 48 total rebounds led all players. Second, Harden made only 5 of his 28 three-point attempts for the series (17.9 percent), which hurt a Cleveland offense that needs perimeter spacing.

Team Stats That Explain the Sweep

New York beat Cleveland in shooting, rebounding, and ball movement, and each gap shows up clearly in the totals. Over the four games, the Knicks shot 177-of-348 from the field (50.9 percent), while the Cavaliers shot 141-of-331 (42.6 percent).

The three-point numbers were even more lopsided. Cleveland attempted 166 threes, more than the 139 New York attempted, but made only 48 of them (28.9 percent). The Knicks made 53 (38.1 percent). Cleveland chose volume, and New York chose accuracy.

Rebounding and passing finished the job. The Knicks averaged 46.0 rebounds per game compared with 36.8 for Cleveland. New York also recorded 112 assists in the series, an average of 28.0 per game, while the Cavaliers recorded 81, or 20.3 per game. Those numbers suggest the Knicks created cleaner looks and took away second chances.

What to Watch in the Next Cavaliers-Knicks Games

The Cavaliers and Knicks meet three times in November, starting with a Saturday, November 7, 2026, game in Cleveland that is listed for 8 p.m. ET. The NBA schedule also shows games in New York on November 11 and November 25. Tipoff times can change, so confirm them on NBA.com before you plan around a game.

Treat last season’s Cleveland Cavaliers vs Knicks match player stats as a baseline, not a prediction. Rosters, injuries, and roles shift from one season to the next, and a regular-season game carries different stakes than a playoff series. Still, a few questions will shape the box score:

  • Can Cleveland fix its perimeter shooting? The Cavaliers made fewer than 29 percent of their threes in the series. A bounce back would change the game.
  • Who controls the glass? New York outrebounded Cleveland by more than nine per game. Towns, Mobley, and Allen will decide that fight.
  • Does Brunson dominate again? He scored 30 or more twice and handed out 14 assists in one game.
  • Which bench provides more? Shamet and McBride gave New York a lift, while Cleveland’s reserves struggled to match them.

How to Read a Box Score Like an Analyst

Start with shooting efficiency, because points alone can mislead you. Compare field goals made and attempted, then check three-pointers and free throws. A player who scores 20 on 8-of-12 shooting helped his team far more than one who scores 20 on 8-of-24.

Next, look at rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks to see how a player affected the game without scoring. Brunson’s 14 assists in Game 2 mattered as much as any scoring total that night. Finally, check the plus-minus column. It shows how the score changed while a player was on the floor, and it often exposes a quiet impact that the main stats hide. For another example of this approach, see how we handled the Lakers player stat breakdown.

Where to Find Official Box Scores and Live Stats

The most reliable sources for Cleveland Cavaliers vs Knicks match player stats are NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Yahoo Sports, and CBS Sports. Each site posts a full box score within minutes of the final buzzer. Basketball Reference adds advanced numbers such as true shooting percentage, usage rate, and offensive and defensive rating.

Use more than one source when a number looks odd, because stat corrections sometimes arrive the next day. If you enjoy this kind of breakdown for other sports, our Cowboys game analysis applies the same method to football.

Conclusion

The 2026 Eastern Conference Finals gave fans a clear picture of how these two teams match up. New York won with balanced scoring, strong rebounding, and better three-point shooting. Cleveland got big nights from Mitchell and Mobley but could not find enough help. With the teams set to meet again on November 7, the box scores from May offer a useful starting point. Check the lineups and injury reports first, then watch whether Cleveland closes the gaps that decided the series.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who scored the most points in the Cavaliers vs Knicks series?

Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers scored the most points in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals, with 109 across four games, an average of 27.3 per game. Jalen Brunson of the Knicks finished second with 102 points. Mitchell’s best game was a 31-point effort in Game 4.

Who won the most recent Cavaliers vs Knicks game?

The Knicks won the most recent game, a 130-93 victory in Cleveland on May 25, 2026. The result completed a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals. Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Donovan Mitchell scored 31 for Cleveland in the loss.

When do the Cavaliers and Knicks play next?

The next game is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 2026, in Cleveland. The teams then play in New York on November 11 and November 25. Schedules can change, so check NBA.com for confirmed tipoff times, broadcast information, and updates on injuries before each game.

Who had the best individual game in the series?

Jalen Brunson had the highest-scoring game of the series with 38 points in Game 1, shooting 15-of-29 in a 115-104 overtime win. Josh Hart (26 points, five threes) and Brunson (19 points, 14 assists) also delivered standout performances in Game 2, a 109-93 Knicks win.

Where can I find the full box score for a Cavaliers vs Knicks game?

You can find full box scores on NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Yahoo Sports, and CBS Sports. These sites list minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and shooting splits for every player. Basketball Reference also offers advanced stats, such as usage rate and offensive and defensive rating, for each game.

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