LeBron James scored 35 of his 47 points in
the first half, as the Cavaliers built a big lead and held on for their 11th
straight win, 113-106 over the Knicks.
James also dished out eight assists, grabbed eight rebounds and had five
steals for Cleveland, which is now 4-0 on a seven-game homestand. The reigning
league MVP set the tone early, scoring 24 straight Cleveland points in the
first half - 16 to end the first quarter and eight to start the second.
"I remember doing it in the Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit," James
said. "That game was of a much bigger magnitude, but I never try to talk about
it. I just do it and it results in a win. I was able to shoot the ball
extremely well, but still get my teammates involved. When I'm on fire, I can
go for a lot of points but getting my teammates involved is good for us in the
long run."
Shaquille O'Neal chipped in 19 points, while Anthony Parker scored 11 in the
win.
Nate Robinson had a team-high 26 points for New York, which was coming off a
114-107 home loss to the Bucks on Friday. David Lee recorded 20 points and
eight rebounds, and Al Harrington netted 16 points off the bench in defeat.
It was a 20-point game, 74-54, in favor of the Cavs at halftime, and a
relatively silent third quarter from both offenses picked up when the Knicks
scored 11 in a row to pull within 88-77 on a three-pointer from Robinson with
under a minute remaining in the quarter.
James put a stop to the run with a make from long distance - his only points
of the quarter - and the Cavs were on top 94-80 with 12 minutes to play.
Robinson's quick layup and three-pointer finally cut the deficit to single-
digits, 94-85, and several minutes later it was a one-possession game,
107-104, after Robinson capped a 10-3 run with a bucket and 3:48 showing on
the clock.
Chris Duhon missed a potential tying three-pointer after a turnover from
James, who made two free throws and consecutive jumpers the next three Cavs
possessions to open up a 113-106 lead with 58.9 seconds remaining.
Robinson's miss the next time down essentially sealed the game's outcome.
Cleveland has often jumped out with fast starts during its recent hot streak,
and Saturday was no different. The Cavs were leading 28-21 late in the opening
frame before James single-handedly outscored the Knicks 16-3 over the final
three minutes, culminated in his fourth three-pointer in a two-minute span
just before the buzzer for a 44-24 lead.
James ended with 23 points in the first and scored Cleveland's first eight
points of the second. The 23 points tied a Quicken Loans Arena mark for most
in one quarter and James' 35 points in a half set a franchise mark.
"My God, he didn't even come close to missing," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni
said of James. "Then they banked some in when they were missing. It was an
impressive offensive output from their whole team in the first quarter."
Game Notes
This is the Cavs' longest win streak since a 13-game stretch from March 7-31
last season...New York has dropped seven straight to Cleveland...Danilo
Gallinari and Jared Jeffries ended with 13 and 12 points, respectively, for
the Knicks...J.J. Hickson netted 10 points for the Cavs, who made 55.0 percent
of their shots and 11-of-22 from three-point range...The Knicks shot at a 52.6
percent clip.
©2010 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
