Cavaliers vs. Knicks: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers (34-15) blitzed the New York Knicks (22-30) in their first two meetings this season, and they quelled a late comeback attempt from the Big Apple ballers to net another win on Saturday night. 

In a prime-time matchup at Madison Square Garden, the Cavaliers overcame the absence of Kyrie Irving (quad soreness) and held off the Knicks, 111-104, to snag their second win in a row and fourth in their last five games. 

As has been the case all year, James paced the Cavaliers in a big way. 

In 39 minutes, James scorched New York to the tune of 32 points (12-of-20 shooting), 10 assists and five rebounds.

LeBron also made history in the second quarter, when he became the youngest player in league history to reach the 28,000-point plateau, according to the NBA on Twitter: 

Kevin Love—who missed Wednesday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with a back issue—added 23 points and 16 rebounds against a New York frontcourt that was without Joakim Noah in the second half due to a sore left hamstring, per Knicks PR.  

As a team, the Cavaliers shot 48.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from three as they repeatedly gashed the Knicks defense with pinpoint passing on the perimeter, as the NBA documented on Twitter:

Needless to say, the Knicks' efficiency paled in comparison to the Cavaliers'.

Carmelo Anthony attempted to lead New York's scoring charge with 17 points, but he went just 6-of-21 from the field and heard it from the MSG faithful: 

And while Brandon Jennings did his best to keep the Knicks alive with 23 points and 10 dimes in Derrick Rose's (ankle) stead, it was too lite, too late, after the Knicks entered halftime down 19 points. 

NBA scribe Jared Dubin came up with a relevant analogy to put the Knicks' effort in perspective:  

Meanwhile, the New York Post's Marc Berman noted the Knicks' inability to hang with the NBA's elite could hurt their exposure on the national stage moving forward:

To make matters worse, Kristaps Porzingis' slump continued as he mustered nine points on 3-of-10 shooting in 29 minutes. 

The Knicks have now lost three of their last four games dating back to Jan. 29, and they'll have to show up with a more complete effort on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers if they want to snap out of that funk. 

The Cavaliers, on the other hand, will attempt to capture their 36th win of the season on Monday when they travel to Verizon Center and attempt to snap the Washington Wizards' 17-game home winning streak.

Postgame Reaction

After the win, Love addressed rumors that have swirled around his status with the Cavaliers, per Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon:

ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk relayed video of Love's complete comments:

Youngmisuk also posted video of Anthony talking about his reaction from the hometown faithful: 

Elsewhere in the Knicks locker room, Jennings told reporters New York has to find a way to get back on track Monday versus the Lakers. 

"It's a must-win game," he said, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley. "It seems like we keep saying every game is a must-win game."