LOS ANGELES – Darius Garland delivered a 32-point gem in Cleveland's 107-90, series-leveling rout of the New York Knicks at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).
Beaten 101-97 in Game 1 on Saturday (last Sunday in Manila), the Cavaliers bounced back in spectacular fashion to score a blowout victory.
Cleveland opened up a 25-22 first quarter lead and never looked back, outscoring Cleveland 34-17 in the second quarter to take a decisive grip on the contest.
New York failed to get within 15 points of the Cavs throughout the second half, as Cleveland powered on to lead by as many as 29 midway through the fourth quarter.
Cleveland point guard Garland produced a sparkling display with 32 points — 26 of them in a devastating first-half scoring burst.
Caris LeVert added 24 off the bench while Donovan Mitchell added 17 points with 13 assists.
The Knicks offense meanwhile failed to fire, with the team's 90-point total their second lowest tally of the season.
Julius Randle finished with 22 points while Jalen Brunson added 20.
Game 3 of the series takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday (Saturday, Manila time).