Donovan Mitchell dropped 37 points on the Knicks Saturday, and the Cavs still lost by 12. So, yeah, Cleveland’s got a few things to figure out before Wednesday’s rematch.

The good news? The Cavs already know Mitchell can score against New York. The bigger challenge is turning all that offense into a win.

They’ll get another chance at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. It’s the second meeting of the season between these Eastern Conference contenders, and Cleveland’s hoping this one ends a whole lot differently.

Same Opponent, Same Problem

New York swept Cleveland in May, then went on to win the championship. The Cavs haven’t forgotten, and Kenny Atkinson was still explaining his comments about that series before Saturday’s game.

His assessment of the Knicks was pretty simple:

They were by far the better team.

Hard to argue with that. Now Cleveland has to give us a reason to believe the gap is getting smaller.

The recent results haven’t exactly helped. Cleveland followed Saturday’s loss with a 124–112 defeat in Charlotte on Monday, dropping to 5–6. Mitchell and James Harden had 11 points apiece, while the Hornets snapped a six-game losing streak. So much for the get-right game.

New York, meanwhile, had won three straight heading into Tuesday’s matchup with Milwaukee. The champs started 0–3, so this hasn’t been some effortless victory lap. They’ve just looked a lot more comfortable lately.

Mitchell Gets His. Who Else Helps?

Mitchell versus Jalen Brunson is the matchup worth clearing your evening for. This season, Brunson was averaging 26.2 points and Mitchell 22.8. Brunson’s shooting just 42.2% from the field, though, so Cleveland’s got a real chance to make his night uncomfortable.

Saturday showed why it’s dangerous to get too caught up in the scoring totals. Brunson had 31 points and nine assists, Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points and 13 rebounds. Mitchell had the biggest number, but New York got a lot more from their next guy.

Cleveland should keep putting Towns into screening actions and make him defend decisions. Let Harden work, get Evan Mobley involved, and move the ball when the help comes. Asking Mitchell to keep beating a set defense is a hell of a lot harder than giving him one that’s already scrambling.

The Stop Isn’t Finished Yet

But the biggest thing late might come down to who wants the miss more.

New York scored 26 second-chance points Saturday. Cleveland had eight. Both teams shot 42.7%, but the Knicks got 14 more shots because they kept finding ways to get the ball back. You can survive a rough shooting night when you keep giving yourself another chance.

Jarrett Allen missed that game with a knee contusion but came back on Monday. That gives Cleveland another big body, though Charlotte still outrebounded the Cavs 49–32. Allen helps, but he doesn’t magically fix the problem. When the shot goes up, everybody has to find somebody and go get the ball.

I’m taking New York again here. Cleveland has enough scoring to win this, but I trust the Knicks a little more to survive an ugly closing stretch without giving away possessions.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com.

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