Garland rallies Cavs to 108-102 win over No. 3 seed Knicks, who finish 0-8 vs East's top 2 teams

NEW YORK (AP) — Darius Garland scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers' comeback from 23 points down for a 108-102 victory Friday night over the New York Knicks, who finished 0-8 against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks were locked into the No. 3 seed in the East during the game when the Indiana Pacers, resting all five starters, were routed by the Orlando Magic to end their hopes of passing New York.

But no matter where the Knicks finished, they look a step below the teams above them. The top-seeded Cavaliers completed a four-game sweep, just as the No. 2 Boston Celtics did with their overtime victory at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers played without All-Star Donovan Mitchell and key reserves Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter, but went with their other four starters.

Jalen Brunson scored 27 points for the Knicks, who rested All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns but otherwise had their regular starting lineup in their third straight loss.

The Knicks made 10 of their first 13 3-point attempts to open a 48-25 lead in the first half, but the Cavaliers outscored them 30-16 in the fourth quarter.

Cavaliers: Coach Kenny Atkinson said he believed that Mitchell, officially listed out for the third straight game with a sprained left ankle, would have been able to play Friday if the game mattered and said he would be ready to go for the playoff opener on April 20.

Knicks: The Knicks will have enough trouble with first-round opponent Detroit, the No. 6 seed that won the series 3-1, before worrying about the record against Cleveland or Boston.

Garland scored all Cleveland's points in an 11-6 surge that turned a three-point deficit into a 97-95 edge.

Cleveland is 16-4 in its last 20 games in the regular season in Madison Square Garden, though lost both in the Knicks’ victory in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

Cleveland faces Indiana again on Sunday. The Knicks will be in Brooklyn.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson (11) losses the ball as he drives to the basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Isaac Okoro, right, drives past New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson passes during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Knicks' Mikal Bridges (25) grabs a rebound from the floor during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Knicks' Josh Hart grabs a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Knicks' Josh Hart, right, reacts was he fouls Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Six years into his Stuttgart career, Nikolas Nartey finally scored his first goal for the club to seal a thrilling 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Tuesday.

The Danish midfielder found space between two defenders to direct Josha Vagnoman's low cross into the net and turned away, shouting in celebration.

Nartey had been with Stuttgart since 2019 but barely played for much of that time. He spent two years on loan before a series of injuries wreaked havoc on his career. He didn't play at all in 2023-24 and had little game time the following year but has become a regular starter this season.

Until Nartey's breakthrough, it had seemed like a first-time scorer of a different sort had salvaged a draw for Frankfurt.

Three minutes into his Bundesliga debut off the bench, new signing Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab made it 2-2 to finish off a rapid team move that began with goalkeeper Kaua Santos and went the length of the field. The 21-year-old forward had never before played above the third tier of German soccer.

Frankfurt took the early lead when Rasmus Kristensen scored in the fifth minute, but goals from Ermedin Demirovic and Deniz Undav put Stuttgart ahead 2-1 by halftime. Both teams had plenty of chances as Santos and Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel made crucial saves.

Stuttgart moves up to third with the win. Frankfurt is seventh, with one win from its last eight games in all competitions.

A day after Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac signaled that challenging Bayern for the title is out of his team's reach, Dortmund cut Bayern's lead to eight points with a straightforward 3-0 win over Werder Bremen.

Defender Nico Schlotterbeck headed second-place Dortmund in front in the 11th before Marcel Sabitzer and Serhou Guirassy scored to make sure of the win.

“That we can't attack Bayern, I think everyone can see that,” Kovac said Monday, adding his aim is a top-four finish.

Unbeaten Bayern, which beat Wolfsburg 8-1 last week, can restore an 11-point lead by beating Cologne on Wednesday.

Mainz beat fellow relegation candidate Heidenheim 2-1 for its first Bundesliga win since September. New Mainz coach Urs Fischer is unbeaten in six Bundesliga and Conference League games since he was hired last month. Mainz moves up from last place in the 18-team league to 16th, dropping Heidenheim to last.

Bayer Leverkusen's game at Hamburger SV was postponed at short notice over concerns around the stadium's roof. It's the third game in the Bundesliga to be called off in recent days following heavy snow in northern Germany.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Mainz's Nadiem Amiri celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 andFC Heidenheim in Mainz, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Torsten Silz/dpa via AP)

Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, second right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the third goal against Werder Bremen during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen in Dortmund, Germany, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Stuttgart players celebrate with their fans after the Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab celebrates scoring with Arthur Theate, left, and Robin Koch, right, during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Nikolas Nartey, front, and Frankfurt Aurèle Amenda in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)