Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson held on to timeouts late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night as the New York Knicks erased a 22-point deficit to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals 115-104. After leading 93-71 with 7:50 left, Cleveland crumbled on a 30-8 run followed by an overtime burst. Atkinson explained he didn't want to burn timeouts heading into a close finish.

Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined to shoot 1-for-10 from the field during the Knicks' 44-11 closing stretch. Mitchell scored 29 points but went cold late, his last bucket coming with 8:19 left in regulation. Harden shot 5-of-16 for 15 points but coughed up six turnovers. Mitchell denied any injury issues but said he planned to review film on his late-game absence.

Harden acknowledged the difficulty of managing the offense while stopping a run simultaneously. The collapse marks the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in the past 30 NBA postseasons. Cleveland has survived tough losses this spring, including a buzzer-beater in Toronto and a blown home closeout against Detroit, but Mitchell insisted this is just one loss with Game 2 approaching.