Knicks open season strong, top Cavs 119-111 in Mike Brown’s debut

If the season opener at Madison Square Garden was a preview of what the Eastern Conference Finals could look like, fans might want to start stocking up on coffee and blood pressure meds now. The Knicks kicked off their 2025–26 campaign with a statement win, taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111 in a game that had everything – pace, poise, and a clear glimpse at what the Mike Brown era is going to be about.

OG Anunoby led the way with 24 points and 14 rebounds, picking up right where he left off last postseason as the Knicks’ two-way anchor. Jalen Brunson added 23 points and looked as comfortable as ever orchestrating Brown’s more balanced offensive system. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges quietly poured in 16. And just as Brown promised when he took the job, this was a true team effort.

“OG was a monster. He was our defensive player of the game. I think he had six or seven deflections. He guarded a lot of different people, so he saw a lot of different types of players tonight. He did a heck of a job.”

– Mike Brown

The rotation was the first sign of change. The Knicks ran 11 deep – everyone in double-digit minutes except Trey Jamison, who logged 8 – and nobody cracked the 40-minute mark. Anunoby led the team with 38 minutes, Brunson followed with 34, and by the 13-minute mark of the first quarter, every member of Brown’s rotation had already touched the floor. For a franchise long defined by heavy starter workloads, it was a refreshing shift – one that gave the bench rhythm and kept the energy consistent from tip to buzzer.

Still, it wasn’t smooth sailing the whole way. The Knicks jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half, only for Donovan Mitchell to catch fire in the third quarter and almost flip the game by himself. Mitchell erupted for 21 of his game-high 31 points in the quarter, spearheading a furious Cavaliers rally that gave Cleveland its first lead since the opening minutes, 89-87, early in the fourth.

That’s when the Knicks punched back. An Anunoby dunk sparked a run, followed by buckets from Miles McBride and Towns that got the Garden roaring again. Jordan Clarkson capped a 14-0 surge with a powerful dunk, and from there, the Knicks never looked back. The Cavs trimmed the lead to single digits, but never seriously threatened again.

McBride, meanwhile, was a difference-maker off the bench, leading the second unit with 15 points and injecting energy at just the right moments. Ariel Hukporti, making his first career start in place of the injured Mitchell Robinson, logged 18 solid minutes – 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block – doing the little things that don’t always show in the box score.

New York’s physicality defined the night. They bullied Cleveland on the boards, 48-32, and controlled the paint, outscoring them 42-30. Even without Josh Hart, who remains sidelined with a back injury, and Robinson, still managing his left ankle, the Knicks imposed their will defensively and dictated tempo.

The Cavaliers, missing several key players of their own – Darius Garland, Max Strus, and De’Andre Hunter – still put up a fight. Evan Mobley tallied 22 points, and sharpshooter Sam Merrill added 19, but the Cavs simply couldn’t overcome Mitchell’s one-man third-quarter effort or the Knicks’ depth-fueled counterpunch.

For Mike Brown, this was more than just a win – it was a debut that set a tone. Balanced minutes, defensive intensity, and composure down the stretch. Against what could easily be their biggest Eastern rival this year, the Knicks showed something that hasn’t always been there in recent seasons: control.

One game down, 81 to go, but in a packed Garden buzzing with optimism, it felt like the start of something worth believing in.