Jalen Brunson, KAT Lead Knicks Over Cavs, Box Score Stats, Highlights for Harden, Spida, Top Players

Jalen Brunson lifted the New York Knicks past James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-97 on the road Saturday after a strong third quarter.

The defending champion Knicks entered Saturday's matchup as 4.5-point favorites over the Cavaliers, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, sealing the deal after taking an 18 point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Knicks improved to 5-4 after a rough start to the season, shaking off the championship blues after opening the year with three consecutive losses.

Cleveland fell to 5-5 as Harden struggled Saturday and Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 37 points.

New York Knicks	MIN	PTS	FG	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
Jalen Brunson	34	31	12-25	6	9	1	0	0
Karl-Anthony Towns	34	29	11-21	13	3	0	3	0
Mikal Bridges	31	9	4-13	6	4	0	0	1
OG Anunoby	34	15	4-13	6	2	2	0	1
Landry Shamet	29	9	3-8	1	1	1	2	0
Cleveland Cavaliers
James Harden	34	7	2-9	2	5	2	1	0
Donovan Mitchell	37	37	13-22	4	4	5	2	1
Evan Mobley	33	12	5-11	9	5	3	0	0
Peyton Watson	29	12	5-11	6	2	0	1	2

Brunson finished with 31 points, six rebounds and nine assists to help lift the Knicks to an impressive win. His strong night followed a hot first half in which he tallied 20 points, four rebounds and four assists to lead the team to a 10-point lead at the half.

Towns added 29 points after an explosive second half, along with three rebounds and two steals after scoring 18 points and six rebounds by halftime. 

OG Anunoby finished with 15 points, Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet both added nine. 

Harden was held to five points, two rebounds and three assists at the half. Finishing with just seven points, two rebounds, five assists. Mitchell led the team at the half with 11 points, finishing with 37 points, two steals and one block.  

Peyton Watson and Evan Mobley each added 12 points in the loss.

The Knicks will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, while the Cavaliers will hit the road to face the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.