CLEVELAND — The Knicks could definitely use Donovan Mitchell. Definitely on Sunday night and probably beyond.
The former trade target absolutely dominated the Knicks roster in the Cavs’ 121-108 victory, turning the fourth quarter into a personal showcase with an unsaid message hanging over the proceedings: New York’s front office screwed up.
Of course, there are months and years to determine whether that’s accurate. But it sure looked that way Sunday.
Mitchell scored 38 points with 12 assists, running over the Knicks down the stretch. The Cavs outscored the Knicks in the fourth quarter, 37-15, when Mitchell contributed 12 points and four assists. He also provided the night’s highlight, a soaring one-handed dunk after he spun around Obi Toppin.
The Knicks, who blew a nine-point advantage in the fourth quarter, got double-digit scoring from RJ Barrett (15), Jalen Brunson (16), Evan Fournier (16) and Julius Randle (15).
But they couldn’t keep up with Mitchell and Kevin Love, who knocked down eight 3-pointers and finished with 29 points.
Mitchell came out like he had a point to prove. The Westchester product scored 15 points with five assists in about 8 minutes, knocking down five treys in the first quarter.
The Knicks were the favorites all summer to land Mitchell, negotiating with the Utah Jazz while dangling their future draft picks and almost entire roster. But they didn’t dangle enough.
The Cavs swooped in and now own the Eastern Conference’s second-best record at 5-1 with five consecutive victories. Mitchell scored at least 31 points in five of those games.
The Knicks (4-3), meanwhile, dropped their second straight with a shoddy defense.
Thibodeau, according to sources, was in favor of acquiring Mitchell and said he could make a backcourt with Jalen Brunson work. On Friday, he declined to entertain questions about the failed trade negotiations.
“You already know the answer to that,” he said. “We don’t deal with hypotheticals.”
But the respect from Thibodeau was clear.
“He’s a terrific player,” the Knicks coach said. “When you dig into their numbers you clearly see the impact that he’s had. He’s a high-end talent. He was that in Utah, he’s that here. When you have a player like that it’s going to make everyone else a lot better and he’s done that. The way he’s played, he attacks. His shot profile is very good.”
