New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek said that Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell’s windmill dunk attempt allowed him to recover for a block late in the Knicks’ 126-124 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday.
“I saw him running and honestly, if he ran and did a regular layup I wouldn’t have caught up to him,” Kolek told reporters after the game. “He wanted to do some windmill s–t, he slowed down, he was trying to do something crazy.”
As Cleveland held a one-point lead with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Mitchell picked off a pass from Jalen Brunson and appeared to have a clear path to the basket.
As he slowed down to wind up for a dunk, Kolek sprinted from behind to block the shot out of bounds. It was initially ruled a foul, but was changed to a clean play following a New York challenge.
While Cleveland retained possession, Mitchell ended up missing a long three-pointer before Knicks forward Mikal Bridges buried a short jumper to put his team in front.
Mitchell finished with 34 points on 12-of-25 shooting and threw down a ferocious one-handed slam later in the contest, but New York ultimately emerged victorious.
Kolek was a key contributor for the Knicks in the win, with 11 of his 16 points coming in the fourth quarter. He also dished out nine total assists, as New York outscored Cleveland by 24 points in his 25 minutes on the floor.
Kolek’s crucial defensive play also helped the Knick improve to 21-9 on the season.