Cavs Collapse Late in Christmas Heartbreaker Against Knicks: A Familiar Flaw Resurfaces
For about 38 minutes on Christmas Day, the Cavaliers looked like the team fans had been waiting to see all season-sharp, connected, and in control. But in the NBA, games aren’t won in 38-minute bursts. And in the final 10 minutes, Cleveland ran headfirst into a problem that’s haunted them all year: rebounding.
The Cavs let a 17-point fourth-quarter lead slip through their fingers, falling 126-124 to the Knicks in a game that felt like a gut punch-not because they were outplayed wire to wire, but because they let it slip away in crunch time.
This one was all about momentum swings. Cleveland dominated the first and third quarters, outscoring New York by a combined 29 points in those frames.
When the offense was humming and the defense was locked in, they looked like a legitimate threat in the East. But the second and fourth quarters?
That’s where things unraveled.
The fourth quarter was particularly brutal. New York grabbed five offensive rebounds in the final period alone, converting them into 10 second-chance points.
That’s the game right there. You can’t give a team with that kind of scoring talent extra possessions and expect to survive.
And the Knicks made Cleveland pay for every missed box-out.
The sequence that sealed it came in the final seconds. Down two, Cleveland played 21 seconds of strong defense and forced Tyler Kolek into a tough midrange jumper.
He missed-but Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t boxed out. Evan Mobley lost track of him on the weak side, and Towns crashed in from the corner for the tip-in.
Just like that, it was a four-point game with under 30 seconds to go. That was the dagger.
Jalen Brunson was the catalyst for New York’s comeback, scoring 13 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter. Kolek added 11 in the final frame and hit all three of his three-point attempts when the Knicks needed them most. That backcourt duo took over late, and Cleveland didn’t have an answer.
And that’s what makes this loss sting. Because for much of the night, the Cavs were doing everything right.
The offense was clicking for the third straight game. Cleveland shot 44.1% from deep, knocking down 15-of-34 from beyond the arc.
Donovan Mitchell led the way with 34 points on an efficient 12-of-24 shooting, and he added six assists. Darius Garland looked like his All-Star self, putting up 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and dishing out 10 assists.
Mobley, returning after nearly two weeks off, gave the Cavs a spark off the bench. He moved well, played with purpose, and finished with 14 points and nine boards in just 25 minutes. His presence was felt-until that final lapse.
But for all the positives, the same issue keeps popping up. The Cavs can’t finish games. Whether it’s rebounding, late-game execution, or simply letting their foot off the gas, they haven’t figured out how to close.
This game felt like a microcosm of their season: stretches of promise, flashes of brilliance, and then one major flaw that flips the script.
Now, it’s back to work. Cleveland heads to Houston next to face a young, talented Rockets team.
Another test. Another chance to show they can play a full 48.
Because until they do, games like this-games they should win-are going to keep slipping away.