Outplayed for much of the early stages by Anthony, James scored a dozen of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers (8-1) snatched what seemed headed for a signature win by the Knicks and turned it into another maddening home loss.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) – Jerryd Bayless scored 17 points and held LeBron James scoreless over the final 3:15 of the second overtime, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat Cleveland 108-105 Saturday night.
Overall, the Knicks missed 17 of 21 shots in the final period and scored just four points in the final five minutes. He largely outplayed James, but was 1-of-9 in the second half with just four points, finishing with a team-high 26, but running out of gas. Kevin Love struggled for just 7 points missing 8-of-10 shots but finished with 11 rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis leads in rebounds with 9.0 per game while Jerian Grant tops in assists with 4.1 per game. Mo Williams puts up a stunning display in the fourth, and with LeBron’s help the Cavs leave NY with a victory.
James scored a season-best 37 points but also committed a season-worst seven turnovers in Cleveland’s 108-105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in double overtime. That basket ignited the Knicks, who went on to outscore the Cavaliers 17-11. They showed why they are on that winning streak once again against the Knicks tonight, as they turn it up in the fourth quarter when it counts and impose their will on opposing teams. Then, Dellavedova hit back-to-back driving layups, and James closed out the scoring when he corralled the ball on the right sideline, drove three quarters of the way up the floor and hit a driving layup in the lane. He scored six straight points to give Cleveland an 84-82 lead with 76 seconds to play on a fade-away jumper over Anthony and two layups.
“As great as he is, I’m going to try to make it as tough as possible for him”, Bayless told the Associated Press. Williams made both free throws after the Knicks fouled and added two more later to clinch it. Anthony blocked Anderson Varejao and then knocked down a three-pointer on the ensuing possession for the lead.
The Knicks were able to withstand a strong start from the Cavaliers to eventually take control of the game. The Knicks battled back from an early first quarter deficit to tie it at 21-21, mostly on the strength of Anthony’s mid- to long-range jumpers, but Cleveland closed on an 8-2 run to move ahead 29-23. He was 8-for-11 from the field in the first half, including 4-for-5 from three-point range. Still, NY has a winning 3-1 record in games where it reaches the century mark. James would make one of two free throws off the Antetokounmpo foul to cut the Milwaukee lead down to one at 101-100, but Cleveland would get no closer.
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“That’s not why we lost the game, but it’s something you wish you could have back”, he said. His 24-point, 14-point effort on Saturday night was his sixth double-double of the season and 44th as a Cavalier.
