Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Recap, Highlights, Final Score, and More

The New York Knicks sent the fans home disappointed once again Saturday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers left Madison Square Garden victorious.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks for the third time this season, tonight. The victory gives the Cavaliers a 34-15 overall record and pushes them to 12-10 on the road. With the loss the Knicks fall to 22-30 overall and 13-12 at Madison Square Garden.

Cleveland controlled the game virtually from the opening tip. The game went back-and-forth for the opening moments but the Cavaliers opened up a nine-point lead by the end of the first quarter. They would open things up even more in the second quarter, heading into halftime ahead by 19.

The lead would get up to as many as 27 points, but the Knicks made a run that started at the end of the third quarter. The Knicks ended the third quarter on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 16 points.

They carried that momentum over into the fourth quarter, as they would cut the Cavaliers lead down to five points after a Carmelo Anthony steal and dunk. But, that is as close as they would get as the Cavaliers held them off.

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It was encouraging to see the Knicks reserves step up once again. They started the game without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah was only able to give six minutes before bowing out with an injury. Those injuries, coupled with tough nights from Kristaps Porzingis and Anthony were a recipe for disaster.

The bench players gave it their all and were able to make a game of it in the fourth quarter. This could have been a more successful night had the Knicks not constantly shot themselves in the foot.

They were brutal from the foul line, shooting 14-of-28 from the foul line. They were also outrebounded 49-42. It was a disappointing performance overall as the Cavaliers were without Kyrie Irving, but fellow Big 3 member LeBron James and Kevin Love more than picked up the slack.

Three Stars

SF LeBron James, Cavaliers — James loves playing at Madison Square Garden as he always puts on a show; tonight was no different. James was terrific all night for the Cavaliers, scoring 32 points with 10 assists and five rebounds. James had his jump shot working tonight, which is always trouble for opposing teams. He made 4-of-8 from deep and 12-of-20 overall. His playmaking skills were on full display as well with Irving sidelined.

PF Kevin Love, Cavaliers — Love played a strong game for the Cavaliers tonight, taking full advantage of some of the shortcomings of the Knicks. With Kristaps Porzingis battling foul trouble, Love feasted on Mindaugas Kuzminskas at times inside the paint. Love finished the game with 23 points, including 4-of-7 from deep. He added 16 rebounds as well as he controlled the glass for Cleveland.

PG Brandon Jennings, Knicks — The Knicks rely heavily on Jennings whenever Derrick Rose is out, evident from the 42 minutes he played tonight. Once again, he had a good game. Jennings was a spark for the Knicks whenever he was on the court, keying their comeback attempt in the second half. He finished the game with 23 points on 8-of-13 from the field, going 6-of-8 from deep as well. He added 10 assists, five rebounds, and two steals to go along with only one turnover for an excellent all around performance.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/828057292490813440

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Next Game

The Knicks will be back on the court Monday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers will also be back on the court Monday when they pay a visit to the Washington Wizards.