Daily Report – 12/26/25
Knicks
Yesterday was a very merry Knicksmas. At Madison Square Garden yesterday, the Knicks achieved their greatest comeback win of the season. They overcame a 17-point deficit with 10:26 remaining in regulation to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124.
The Knicks better not make comeback wins a habit. They are grueling. They started this game trailing 18-3 midway through the first quarter. They were outscored 38-23 by the end of the frame. However, a 24-3 second-quarter run, powered by 11 points from Jordan Clarkson and seven assists in eight minutes by Tyler Kolek, made for a 37-20 second quarter and a two-point lead at halftime.
“The times we were dead in the water, especially early in the game, [Clarkson] was the one guy that was keeping us in it,” said head coach Mike Brown. “First, with his offense, he was really, really good for us. And then defensively, he was good too.”
However, things got rough in the second quarter as Cleveland put up another 38 points. As amazing as Jalen Brunson is, while his 34 points led the Knicks yesterday, his -17 rating was the worst on the team. Meanwhile, Clarkson recorded a +13 rating, and Kolek clocked in at +24.
“Our bench was fantastic,” Brown said. “Our bench basically won the game for us. They put us in a position down the stretch so a guy like [Brunson], who, again, is an MVP or one of the front-runners for MVP in this league, can go and show everybody why he is that.”
The comeback started with a two-point jump shot by Clarkson. Next, a three-point shot by Tyler Kolek. At 6:37, a step-back three from Jalen Brunson put the Knicks within nine. Then another three by Kolek. And another by Clarkson. And back-to-back jump shots from Kolek and Brunson.
It was a one-point game before Donovan Mitchell interrupted the Knicks’ run, putting Cleveland ahead by three points.
Then, another three-point shot by Brunson tied the game at 113 with 3:48 remaining. If things weren’t entertaining already, they were about to get a lot better. Tyler Kolek was waiting to explode.
Cleveland regained their lead with a couple of free throws from Mitchell, and Evan Mobley made it a four-point game at 2:36. Kolek responded with a three-point shot, a block, and an assist on a go-ahead bucket by Mikal Bridges. The Garden Faithful broke into a “Tyler Kolek” chant.
“Playing at the Garden on Christmas, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Kolek exclaimed.
At 1:47, Mitchell Robinson was trying to communicate with his teammates in the attacking zone, but Donovan Mitchell stole the ball from him and attempted a dunk on a breakaway. Somehow, Kolek caught up with Mitchell, one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA, and blocked his shot. It was initially ruled a foul, but the Knicks challenged the call and won.
“Honestly, if [Mitchell] ran and just did a regular layup, I wouldn’t have caught up to him,” Kolek said. “He slowed down. He was trying to do something crazy.”
Next, a three-point shot by Brunson put the Knicks up by two, and Karl-Anthony Towns, whose minutes had been limited by foul trouble, gave New York a four-point lead with 27.3 seconds remaining. It was his only impactful moment of the game, for Robinson had replaced him for most of the fourth quarter.
“Everybody understands what our standard is,” head coach Brown said. “It’s about sacrifice. KAT sat most of the fourth, but he was still into the game. You could tell because he had the biggest offensive rebounds during the game. He was into it mentally, understanding that, ‘Hey, Mitch is out there balling. I’m gonna sit here and cheer my teammates on. When my number is called, I’m gonna be ready to go.’”
Mitchell responded to Towns’s shot with a dunk, but on a half-court press, Mikal Bridges passed the ball to an open OG Anunoby for a dunk with 12.4 seconds left. After that, Mitchell missed a long three-point shot, and Robinson got fouled on the rebound.
Robinson finished the game with zero points, but the Knicks would have struggled mightily without his 13 rebounds. Four of his eight offensive rebounds came in the fourth quarter, and they yielded nine Knicks points.
“When the game’s getting tight like that, and you need a little energy, you gotta go crash the glass and get offensive rebounds the best way you can,” Robinson stated.
However, Robinson missed each of his shots from the line, despite a third chance because of a line violation. As soon as Cleveland got the ball back, Donovan Mitchell was nailing a tough-angle three. The Knicks’ lead was cut to one point, and the Garden Faithful was growing fearful.
Fortunately, Mike Brown had a spare timeout in his pocket. He used it to gain an inbound pass from the offensive sideline. Towns replaced Robinson, got fouled, and he made one free throw with 1.1 seconds left. That gave Mitchell just enough time to attempt a game-winning shot, but it fell short of the basket.
The Knicks were victorious.
“Our guys just found a way to get a win,” Brown remarked. “That’s what you need throughout a long season.”
Schedule
Saturday 12/27:
12:00 PM: Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl – Penn State vs. Clemson; ABC
4:30 PM: Houston Texans (10-5) at Los Angeles Chargers (11-4); NFLN
6:00 PM: NYR at NYI; MSG2, Gotham Sports
8:00 PM: NYK at ATL; MSG, Gotham Sports
8:00 PM: NFL on Peacock EXCLUSIVE – Baltimore Ravens (7-8) at Green Bay Packers (9-5-1); Peacock
Sunday 12/28:
1:00 PM: NFL on FOX, Week 17 – New York Jets (3-12) vs. New England Patriots (12-3); FOX, FOXONE
4:00 PM: NFL on CBS, Week 17 – New York Giants (2-13) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-13); CBS, Paramount+
8:20 PM: Sunday Night Football (SNF), Week 17 – Chicago Bears (11-4) at San Francisco 49ers (11-4); NBC, Peacock
7:00 PM: Football Night in America (FNIA); NBC
8:00 PM: Hyundai Sunday Night Kickoff; NBC, Peacock
8:10 PM: GEICO Sunday Night Anthem; NBC, Peacock
