Brunson took the leading role as Knicks win 130-116 against Cavs

New York Knicks moved closer to a playoff spot, outrunning the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-116 on Friday night. Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 48 points in the absence of Julius Randle.

Randle sprained his left ankle on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the regular season. New York hopes he’ll be back for the postseason and a potential first-round matchup against the Cavs.

New York won the season series 3-1 and denied Cleveland a chance to lock up home-court advantage in the first round.

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Donovan Mitchell scored 42 points to lead Cleveland, which closed within 123-116 before Brunson, who had seven 3-pointers and nine assists, put the Cavs away with a layup and 3-pointer.