“We’re still learning”, Knicks coach Derek Fisher.
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James scored six straight points to give Cleveland an 84-82 lead with 76 seconds to play.
LeBron James has accomplished a great deal in his 13-year National Basketball Association career – enough so that individual achievement and milestones sometimes do not register as especially impressive or notable.Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James soared to another National Basketball Association milestone, jamming home a dunk against the 76ers in Philadelphia to become the youngest player to score 25,000 points.
The last time these teams played each other was in the preseason when Milwaukee won 110-101, but Cleveland was decimated with injuries at the time. The Cavs went small to open the fourth and Richard Jefferson caught fire, scoring eight points in the first two minutes to pull within 73-71.
Forward Kristaps Porzingis finished with 11 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks.
Golden State fired back in the second quarter and tied the game on Curry’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.
Point guard Michael Carter-Williams also finished with 17 points while Antetokounmpo and center Greg Monroe added 16 each – with 11 and 17 rebounds, respectively – and forward Jabari Parker had 12. Then, James buried a 12-foot jumper that put the Cavaliers in front, but it was point guard Mo Williams who clinched the victory with a go-ahead jumper and four free throws in the final 41 seconds. Melo’s performance had Magic Johnson tweeting that Anthony was playing like an MVP candidate which would suggest that Magic hasn’t seen much of Stephen Curry this season. Anthony was 8 of 11 from the floor in the first half for 22 points, helping the Knicks to a 53-46 halftime edge. The basket gave the Knicks a double-digit lead for the third straight game.
But without James, the Cavs would not be where they are right now.
Nicolas Batum led all scorers with 28 points but his 3-point attempt to tie the game at 100 was off target. Langston Galloway scored on a layup and a floater in the sequence.
Sloppy play marked the second and third quarters as Cleveland ended up with 20 turnovers against 21 assists by game’s end.
Following the timeout, the Knicks went on 9-4 run, which cut the Cavaliers’ lead down to 17-12. NY whittled away an early nine-point Cleveland lead, moving ahead 36-35 on a 3-pointer from Anthony with 6:33 left in the second. Anthony made two free throws, making it 76-71 with seven minutes remaining.
The Knicks went back to Afflalo, but this time his shot in the lane didn’t drop and the Cavs rebounded with 20.9 seconds to go.
The crowd included tennis player Carolina Wozniacki, NY Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard and Knicks Hall of Famer Willis Reed, who posed for a picture with James and Anthony before the game. As he was falling out of bounds on the baseline, he threw the ball off Ilyasova to retain possession. It set the stage for James to make a hard fade away with the shot clock running down and Anthony in his face. The Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings. Fifteen seconds later he cashes in a second jumper from beyond the arc.
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The balanced Bucks attack was led by Carter-Williams and Bayless, who each scored 17 points.
