The Knicks put on their Grinch costumes and stole Christmas from the Cavaliers. 

Down 17 with 10:26 left in the game, the Knicks ripped off a 27-10 run to tie the game at 113-113 with 3:48 left. 

Tyler Kolek drilled two 3-pointers during that span. Then a few minutes later, when the deficit had grown to four again, he nailed another 3-pointer to bring the Knicks within one.

Donovan Mitchell had what appeared to be a wide-open layup on a fast break two possessions later, but Kolek sprinted back to block him — with a foul call overturned after a Knicks challenge.

After a subsequent Mitchell miss, Kolek grabbed the rebound, dribbled down the court and assisted a Mikal Bridges 3-pointer that gave the Knicks a one-point lead. 

Jalen Brunson (11) puts up a shot during the Knicks’ win over the Cavaliers on Dec. 25, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“Ty-ler Ko-lek” chants rang around Madison Square Garden and the Knicks subsequently put the Cavaliers away with a 126-124 win Thursday afternoon. 

“Playing at the Garden on Christmas,” Kolek said, “it doesn’t get much better than that.” 

The 17-point comeback by the Knicks was their largest this season. 

Tyler Kolek (13) drives up the court during the Knicks’ win over the Cavaliers on Dec. 25, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“Our guys, throughout the course of the game, had plenty of opportunities to say ‘Hey, 12 o’clock game, we’ve been through this, been through that, let’s just cash it in and get the next one,’ ” coach Mike Brown said. “There was a lot of fight in our guys. .. It’s one of our best wins of the year, maybe the best because of the circumstances.” 

Jalen Brunson, who thrives in front of national audiences, poured in 34 points — his 90th 30-point game for the Knicks — behind only Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony — and went 6-for-12 from 3-point range.

Brunson’s 3-pointer with 1:05 left reestablished a two-point lead after the Cavaliers had pulled back ahead. The Knicks led the rest of the way. 

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Karl-Anthony Towns was on the bench for most of that 27-10 run and didn’t check back in until 3:07 left. But his putback layup with 27.3 seconds left gave the Knicks a four-point lead.

Mitchell Robinson, in for Towns, grabbed four offensive rebounds in that run and finished with eight. 

He was part of a bench unit — with Kolek and Jordan Clarkson — that won the game for the Knicks. 

“They really picked us up,” Brunson said. “They’re the reason we won.” 

New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek and New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson react after Kolek hit a 3-point shot over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill during the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Kolek finished with 16 points and nine assists, continuing his stunning breakout of late. Clarkson finished with 25 and was in for that fourth-quarter run as well. And both were also key to a huge 24-3 run to start the second quarter after the Knicks entered the quarter down by 15.

Clarkson scored 11 points in that second quarter, and Kolek had seven assists in eight minutes in the period. 

“After the Minnesota game [a loss Tuesday], we had great conversations within the group,” Brown said. “And one of the things Josh [Hart] said was, ‘Hey, young guys, guys coming off the bench, if we as starters don’t have it going, you guys gotta try to uplift us, too. You guys gotta hold us accountable, too. And when you get your opportunity, be aggressive.’ 

“Our bench was fantastic. Our bench basically won the game for us. They put us in position down the stretch so a guy like Jalen, who, again, is an MVP or one of the front-runners for MVP in this league, so a guy like him can go and show everybody why he is that.” 

New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson reacts after he hits a 3-point shot during the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

OG Anunoby, Towns and Bridges were all quiet offensively. For large stretches of the game, the Knicks struggled to get stops. But their resilience has been a season-long theme. 

“Our guys just found a way to get a win,” Brown said. “That’s what you need throughout a long season.” 

Up and down the roster, they’ve repeated that line — finding a way to win — throughout the year. It might come from different sources — but game by game, they are proving themselves right.