Clarkson is Knicks’ biggest star on Christmas Day

Jordan Clarkson of the New York Knicks drives to the basket against Dean Wade of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter of their game at the Madison Square Garden on December 25, 2025 in New York City.

Pamela Smith / Getty Images / AFP

NEW YORK, United States –Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson saved Christmas for the New York Knicks.

On Christmas Day at the Madison Square Garden, Clarkson poured in a season-high 25 points off the bench to lift New York to a dramatic 126-124 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers—a game that swung on energy, momentum and the steady brilliance of a player long built for moments like this.

Clarkson shot 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range, finishing with 25 points, two assists, one rebound and three steals. It was his 139th career 20-point game off the bench, surpassing Dell Curry for seventh all-time since the NBA began tracking the stat in the 1970–71 season.

It also marked Clarkson’s first game as a Knick and his 55th career game with at least 20 points and two steals.

Clarkson joined New York earlier this season after reaching a buyout agreement with the rebuilding Utah Jazz, choosing to attach himself to a contender rather than remain on a team focused on development.

New York outscored Cleveland by 13 points with Clarkson on the floor—a swing that told the story of a game that once looked lost.

The Knicks trailed by 15 entering the second quarter after a sluggish start. That’s when Clarkson flipped the script.

He scored 11 points in the period as part of a 24-3 burst that swung the game back to New York. The run was punctuated by a defining sequence—a 3-pointer, a steal from Donovan Mitchell and another three on the break.

“The times we were dead in the water, especially early in the game, he was the one guy that was keeping us in it,” coach Mike Brown said. “First with his offense, he was really, really good for us offensively. And then defensively, he was good too.”

Clarkson wasn’t finished.

He stayed on the floor for most of the fourth quarter as New York erased a 17-point deficit. Seven of his points came in the final frame, steadying a comeback that became complete when Jalen Brunson closed it out.

The former Gilas Pilipinas star anchored a bench unit alongside Tyler Kolek and Mitchell Robinson that turned the game on its head.

“Honestly, I thought it was great,” Brunson said. “We kept fighting. There have been times where we could have just said, we don’t have it tonight, but we kept fighting. It starts with Tyler [Kolek], JC [Jordan Clarkson], and Mitch [Robinson]. Them bringing the energy that we needed really picked us up, and they’re the reason why we won.”

Brunson finished with 34 points on 10-of-25 shooting, scoring 13 in the fourth quarter to close what the bench had started.

“Our bench was fantastic,” Brown said. “Our bench basically won the game for us tonight. They put us in a position down the stretch so a guy like Jalen, who again is MVP or one of the front runners for MVP in this league, can show everybody why he is that.”

The victory lifted the Knicks to 21-9, second in the Eastern Conference, and further solidified their place among the league’s contenders. In NBA futures betting, New York is listed at +1200 to win the NBA championship, according to TG Casino, one of the best Minnesota betting sites.

But on a day built for stars and spectacle, the moment belonged to Clarkson—the Filipino-American guard who has made a career of being a spark plug off the bench.

On Christmas, in New York, he didn’t just show up.

He sparked the largest fourth-quarter comeback of the season and what Brown described as the Knicks’ “best win of the season.”

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.