Cavaliers vs. Knicks: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
LeBron James tends to be at his best when the lights shine brightest at Madison Square Garden, and Wednesday was no exception.
Matched up against a New York Knicks team that was riding a four-game winning streak, James finished with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a 126-94 blowout win.
FiveThirtyEight's Chris Herring provided an apt analogy for how Wednesday's drubbing unfolded:
The Cavaliers—who have won two in a row after losing three straight—sit at 15-5 on the season. The Knicks dropped to 12-10 and 9-4 at home with the loss.
While James was at the center of attention at the mecca of basketball, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were both locked in. Irving dropped a team-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting and dished out six assists, while Love posted 21 points and four boards.
According to The Vertical's Chris Mannix, Love has racked up numbers that should earn him a fourth All-Star nod when voting closes:
Tristan Thompson also came to play. Despite scoring only three points and making zero shots from the field, Thompson made his presence felt with a season-high 20 rebounds—six offensive—on a night when the Cavs bested the Knicks in every phase.
One day removed from a win over the Miami Heat in which he poured in 35 points, Carmelo Anthony was silenced to the tune of eight points on 4-of-9 shooting. Brandon Jennings and Kristaps Porzingis added 16 and 12 points, respectively, but that wasn't enough against a Cavaliers team that was in command throughout.
Not only did the Cavs lead by 15 at the halftime break, but they had also hit nine threes and scored 18 fast-break points during a 24-minute span that saw James, Irving and Love all crack double figures.
As always, the focus was on LeBron.
In the aftermath of the infamous "posse" comments made by Knicks president Phil Jackson, James appeared motivated to thrash New York in front of its home crowd.
Newsday's Al Iannazzone noted as much in the first quarter:
With the Cavs' lead building in advance of halftime, LeBron ramped up the intensity a notch and provided a pair of show-stopping plays—including a monster semi-transition slam—to send the Knicks sputtering into the locker room:
ESPN The Magazine's Pablo S. Torre was in awe of James' jaw-dropping display:
Plus, as Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine observed, the Knicks—who lost to the Cavaliers by 29 points on opening night—have yet to demonstrate an ability to play disciplined defense and hang tough with Cleveland for extended stretches:
The Cavaliers bumped their lead to 21 points less than three minutes into the second half, and they were able to coast from that point forward.
Not only was the Knicks defense generally hapless, but Anthony and Porzingis were also both held in check as the offense struggled to find a groove with Derrick Rose (sore back) sidelined.
Now it's on the Knicks to shape up as they prepare for a stretch that could define how they transition into the new year.
Only 3-6 away from home, the Knicks are set to embark on a five-game road trip that includes matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.
But first, the Knicks will square off against the Sacramento Kings in California's capital as they seek to quiet DeMarcus Cousins and Co. in a contest that will test their mettle.
The Cavaliers are on the opposite end of the travel spectrum.
In possession of back-to-back wins over Atlantic Division opponents, Cleveland will return to Quicken Loans Arena on Friday evening to face the Miami Heat for the start of a three-game homestand that includes meetings with the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies.
Postgame Reaction
When asked if he was motivated by Jackson's comments, LeBron simply said he's "motivated by a love of the game," according to the Record's Steve Popper.
Irving later elaborated on how the Cavaliers were able to summon such a complete effort, as Fox Sports Ohio documented on Twitter:
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue was also thrilled with his team’s performance for the second straight game, via Fox Sports Ohio:
As for the Knicks, Anthony was asked about Jackson's public comments regarding his tendency to hold the ball a bit too much on offense.
"Whatever Phil said, he said," Anthony told reporters, per ESPN.com’s Ian Begley. "I have nothing to say about that."
Looking ahead, Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek provided a blueprint for how his team can remain competitive on the road.
"You need to go out and play with intensity every game," he said, according to the Knicks' Twitter account. "We need to play on the attack and make smart plays."
Stats courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
