The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks just finished playing a wild Christmas Day contest to open the 5-game slate.
Every single quarter was a shift in momentum, seeing both teams dominate for that 12 minutes. The Cavs began on fire in the first quarter, while the Knicks stormed back in the second quarter to make it close. Again in the third, the Cavs won the quarter easily; however, in the 4th, the Knicks came back again to win the game by two points, 126-124.
The Cavs fell to 17-15 on the season, and the struggles continue.
During the late stages of the game, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell rose up for a poster slam on defender OG Anunoby.
DONOVAN MITCHELL OMG pic.twitter.com/bhVX9E25VN
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 25, 2025
That was an insane dunk that almost gave the Cavs enough momentum to win the game. Mitchell scored 34 points in the loss on 12-25 shooting. Darius Garland scored 20 points while Evan Mobley returned off the bench. Mobley scored 14 points and grabbed nine boards in his return. The Cavs are a much better team when he is playing, and he will eventually return to the starting lineup.
Jalen Brunson and Jordan Clarkson combined to score 59 points in the win for the Knicks. They combined for 11 triples to really allow for the comeback. The Cavs had a hard time containing them all afternoon long. Despite the MVP-caliber game, Brunson ended as a -17 while his teammate, Tyler Kolek, finished as a +24, scoring 16 points. This Knicks team is going to be dangerous this Spring.


















