Randle has 36, 8 3s as Knicks stop Mitchell, Cavs 105-103

NEW YORK (AP)— Donovan Mitchell kept coming at the New York Knicks and they keptblocking his path.

Julius Randlehad 36 points and 13 rebounds, and his eighth 3-pointer snapped atie with 2:07 left as the Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers105-103 on Tuesday night.

Mitchell had24 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in his return from athree-game absence with a left groin strain. But he was stopped onhis last three attempts at the rim and was slow to get up afterfalling to the ground in an effort to save the Cavaliers’ finalpossession, saying afterward his legs cramped.

“I went up totry and dunk it, both my legs cramped and my groin just tightenedup and locked up on me so three things happened at the same time,”Mitchell said.

RJ Barrettadded 16 points and Jalen Brunson had 14 for the Knicks, whosnapped a four-game losing streak.

“That’s thething, You’ve got to keep fighting and you’ve got to fight the goodfight,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So sometimes you fallshort and then you’ve got to work your way out of it.”

Jarrett Allenhad 24 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, while Darius Garlandadded 22 points and six assists.

The Knickswere ahead by 11 with under eight minutes remaining before Mitchellmade a 3-pointer, stole the ball from Randle and fed Isaac Okorofor a three-point play, and then made another 3 for nine straightCleveland points in barely a minute to trim it to 93-91.

Evan Mobley’sbasket tied it with 2 1/2 minutes to play before Randle answeredwith his 3 on the other end. Cleveland had two chances to tie orcut it to one, but Mitchell was blocked first by Barrett and thenby Isaiah Hartenstein on the next possession.

Brunson thenmade two free throws for a five-point lead but Garland had athree-point play that trimmed it to 105-103. The Cavs got the ballback after a shot-clock violation and Mitchell drove into the lanebut was stopped again by Hartenstein. Mitchell went to the groundand the Cavs batted the ball back out to Mobley, whose jumpermissed.

“I mean, youkind of knew that he was going to take the last shot and so I wasjust ready to help,” Hartenstein said. “If he dumps it off toAllen, it’s a 2, we go into overtime, but I was just trying to makea play and not foul at the same time.”

Cavs coachJ.B. Bickerstaff motioned to two referees afterward that he wastrying to get a timeout during that possession that theymissed.

Randle hadfive 3-pointers and 17 points in the first 9 1/2 minutes and theKnicks led 34-27 after one quarter. But he took just one shot inthe second, when Allen went 5 for 5 for 10 points as Cleveland cutit to 53-51 at the half.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers:Mobley had 12 points after scoring a career-high 38 againstMilwaukee on Saturday. ... The Cavs dropped both games at MadisonSquare Garden this season, where they have won 12 of their last16.

Knicks: Itwas the ninth anniversary of Carmelo Anthony’s 62-point performanceagainst Charlotte that set the Knicks’ and current Madison SquareGarden single-game records. ... Brunson will have his No. 1 jerseyretired at Villanova, where he won two NCAA titles, at halftime ofits Feb. 8 game against DePaul.