Collin Sexton, Cavaliers Beat Kevin Knox, Knicks Amid Race for Zion Williamson
The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 125-118 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday evening.
Kevin Love led all scorers with 26 points. Cavs rookie point guard and No. 8 overall selection Collin Sexton dropped 22 points and made several key plays in the fourth quarter as part of a 17-4 run that swung the Cavs in front 119-115 after being down 111-102 with 4:42 left to play.
Alongside Sexton in the Cavs' final push was fellow point guard Jordan Clarkson, who also scored 22 points.
Knicks second-round rookie Mitchell Robinson followed up his six-block performance earlier this week with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Fellow rookies Kevin Knox (No. 9 overall) and Allonzo Trier (undrafted) chipped in eight points and 22 points, respectively.
The Knicks entered the game on a two-game winning streak—with both victories coming at home—after slogging through an 18-game losing streak through January and February. With the win, Cleveland (15-47) holds a two-game advantage over the Knicks (13-49) in the basement of the league.
Knicks' Developing Youth Adds Intrigue to Race for Zion Williamson
Eighteen-year-old Duke phenomenon Zion Williamson won't have a say in which NBA franchise drafts him.
However, the Knicks' current young pieces continued to show what heights they could reach if they're lucky enough to draft Williamson No. 1.
The game remained close until the Knicks went on a 17-6 run to end the third quarter with a 12-point lead. The momentum was derived from Trier, Robinson, point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and forward Henry Ellenson, who signed a 10-day contract with New York on Feb. 20.
While Cleveland answered with a run of their own that ultimately won them the game, the Knicks' youth showcased their potential at several points throughout the contest—especially those off the bench.
Ellenson's 10-day expires this weekend, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning that the Knicks plan to sign Ellenson for the rest of the season with a team option for the 2019-20 season. Ellenson (No. 18 overall selection in 2016 by the Detroit Pistons) is just 22 years old and could create a nice tandem at power forward for the Knicks alongside 23-year-old Noah Vonleh (also a former first-round pick).
With Vonleh a pending free agent, however, Ellenson's development becomes all the more important.
Trier's increasing production is a testament to the Knicks' development team, which makes the possibility of a potentially generational talent like Williamson landing in their system all the more intriguing.
The prospect of a 6'7'' and 285-pound Williamson teaming up with 7'1" Robinson becomes more enticing as Robinson continues to ascend as a defender. Heading into Thursday night's game, Robinson was averaging 5.5 blocks per 36 minutes and had 52 blocks in 344 minutes since the calendar flipped over to January.
By comparison, according to Forbes, Rudy Gobert (who won the 2017-18 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award) has 51 blocks in 729 minutes since the start of 2019.
Robinson and Williamson have both proven their big-man advantages are not restricted to the paint. Robinson continued his growing trend of blocking three-point attempts Thursday, and Williamson has already become a highlight reel in that regard.
Knox's relatively quiet contributions should actually be encouraging for New York, as a solid cast around the 19-year-old will only aid in maximizing the potential the Knicks saw in him out of Kentucky. The Knicks made clear that their plan moving forward doesn't involve building around just one star player when they traded former No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas on Jan. 31.
New York received in part 21-year-old former No. 9 overall pick Smith Jr., who put up 16 points and 8 assists against the Cavs, and two future first-round picks in exchange for Porzingis. The development of Smith Jr. as a playmaker along with Knox, Ellenson, Robinson and Trier will dictate the impact any future lottery pick can have at MSG—whether that be Williamson or someone else.
What's Next?
The Cavaliers will host the Detroit Pistons on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, while the Knicks will travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Sunday afternoon.
