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The Cleveland Cavaliers fell 109-97 to the New York Knicks on the second night of a back-to-back.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Player of the game
Donovan Mitchell
37 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
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Mitchell looks like he’s finding the right balance between scoring and passing through the last two games. He’s been aggressive first, allowing his playmaking to come as a result of the defense overreacting to his gravity. That’s led to some efficient games passing the ball, but we were all waiting for Mitchell to have a scorching hot game shooting it.
It finally happened.
Mitchell went off for a season-high 37 points, and he was the catalyst behind Cleveland’s momentary comeback in the fourth quarter. Mitchell was one of the only Cavaliers who had a pulse on offense tonight.
Grade: A–
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Grades
Evan Mobley
12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers
Mobley was fantastic last night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tonight? He was totally on his back foot.
Karl-Anthony Towns beat Mobley to the punch more often than not. It was an uber-aggressive approach from KAT that reminded you why the Cavs are still at their best when there are two defensive anchors on the floor.
We know that Mobley can play better than this, and his grade will reflect that.
Grade: D+
James Harden
7 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds
Last year’s playoffs showed that this was a bad matchup for Harden, and tonight proved that it wasn’t just because Harden was gassed. The Knicks are too fast and incorporate too much off-ball movement for Harden to keep up defensively. The Cavs will be in trouble if they draw New York again in April or May.
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Grade: F
Meleek Thomas
9 points, 4 rebounds
The Cavs have leaned heavily on this 20-year-old rookie to give them minutes. He’s had moments where it all clicks effortlessly into place. And other times, he looks off Mitchell and attempts a wild layup that goes the other way in transition.
Thomas shot 3-10 from the floor and looked like a rookie tonight. Overall, he has been fantastic given the circumstances. He’s quickly lapped his competition as the best backup guard option…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/player-grades-cavs-vs-knicks-055924803.html
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Publish date : 2026-11-08 05:59:00
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