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 The Cleveland Cavaliers forward scored five straight points late
in the game, securing Cleveland's 90-87 over New York Thursday at
Madison Square Garden.
James had eight turnovers when the Knicks ruined his first game back
in Cleveland with a 95-90 victory on Oct. 30. But in round two,
James, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, played
the role of distributor, dishing out 12 assists while scoring 19
points.
He has scored in double figures in 589 straight games, the
third-longest streak in league history, yet he wasn't completely
satisfied with his performance.
"I felt out of rhythm," James admitted. "I felt I didn't play a
great game. I wasn't as aggressive as I wanted to be.
"But obviously we got the win and that's the most important thing."
Guard Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 37 points to lead Cleveland
(10-7), who won for a season-best five straight games.
The Knicks (4-16) lost their sixth game and 15 of their last 17.
It's the worst start in franchise history for the Knicks.
Irving was 12-of-18 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the free-throw
line. He also contributed two steal in 44 minutes.
New York received 20 points from guard Tim Hardaway Jr., forward
Amar'e Stoudemire added 18 points and forward Quincy Acy scored a
career-high 15.
"Quincy did a good job of competing," said Knicks coach Derek
Fisher. "He put a great effort out there on both ends of the floor."
Carmelo Anthony missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game
with six seconds and guard Jose Calderon's made 3-pointer was ruled
it went in after the buzzer.
Stoudemire scored on a layup to pull the Knicks to within 88-87 with
3:05 remaining to play, but New York missed six straight shots until
a baseline layup from Irving made it 90-87 with 10 seconds to play.
"Coach (David Blatt) did a great job of drawing up the play and my
teammates trust me enough to clear out one side and give me a chance
to get the best shot possible for our team and make a play," said
Irving of his critical layup.
New York held the lead for most of the fourth quarter before a
3-pointer and a fast-break dunk from James gave Cleveland an 88-85
lead with 3:25 left to play. The Knicks led by as many as seven
points in the fourth quarter.
A 9-2 run at the end of the third quarter provided New York with a
73-68 lead. Knicks guard Shane Larkin drilled a 3-pointer,
Stoudemire scored twice and Hardaway scored on a layup.
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A layup from James with 3:20 left in the third tied it at 64, then
Irving scored on a runner at the 2:20 mark for a 66-64 Cavaliers
lead. It marked Cleveland's first lead since early in the second
quarter.
Irving scored 17 of his 23 first-half points in the second quarter,
but New York still held onto a 53-50 advantage.
The Cavs cut the Knicks lead to 46-41, but a 3-pointer from guard
Jose Calderon and a breakaway dunk by Anthony moved the Knicks lead
to 51-41 with 1:51 left in the half.
The Knicks started gelling as the second quarter started. They
opened on a 13-2 run to move ahead 37-27 with 7:40 left in the
quarter. Hardaway scored 11 of those points.
Love and Irving scored six points apiece when the Cavaliers grabbed
a 25-24 first-quarter lead. Anthony sat the last four minutes of the
quarter with two fouls after scoring five points. He made only two
of his five shots in the quarter.
NOTES: Cavaliers F Mike Miller left the game against the New York
Knicks with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter with concussion-like
symptoms. He was evaluated further following the game and has been
placed in the NBA's concussion protocol. He will remain in New York
overnight for further examination. His status will be updated as
appropriate. ... Cleveland G Kyrie Irving Irving has scored 20 or
more points in 10 straight games against the Knicks. ... New York
employed their 11th different starting lineup in 20 games. C Amar'e
Stoudemire replaced Samuel Dalembert, who had started every game at
the position this season. ... Knicks F Carmelo Anthony is the sixth
youngest player in league history to score 20,000 points. Cleveland
F LeBron James is the youngest at 28 years, 17 days. ... Cleveland
assigned C Alex Kirk to the Canton Charge of the NBA Development
League. ... LeBron James has accumulated the most Player of the Week
selections (47) and Player of the Month (27) selections in league
history. ... Knicks G J.R. Smith was back after missing the last
game and almost all the previous one with flu-like symptoms. ... The
Knicks have played 13 games decided by seven points or fewer. They
have lost 10 of them. ... Both teams combined for 38 turnovers. ...
LeBron James recorded the 274th double-double of his career.
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