TODAY’S GAME
Everything CLEVELAND — with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season is about a teamfirst committee approach.
That’s how they’ve been able to survive Kevin Love’s absence, losing their most important player four games into the new season. It’s how they were able to pull off an improbable 113-106 win against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, just days after Tristan Thompson was lost because of a sprained foot.
Gone are the days of cen- tering the franchise on one guy — even if those days were memorable, successful and glorious.
The Cavs don’t have that luxury anymore. No one player can fill in the gaps when an injury pops up.
On Wednesday, they got just enough of a boost, with the guards picking up the scoring slack and Rodney Hood delivering the dagger in the final seconds.
The Knicks a one-time 22-point Cavs lead, reclaim- ing the edge with 32.5 seconds after rookie Kevin Knox threw down a dunk in transi- tion to give New York a onepoint advantage.
With the Cavs teetering, coach Larry Drew called the final timeout and dia- grammed a play for Hood. The Cavs don’t have a desig- nated closer. They’ve been using different players each night. Against New York, it was Hood’s turn.
He useda Larry Nance Jr. screen, got back to his dominant left hand and buried a runner in the lane to put the Cavs back in front.
Then Cedi Osman hit a Bucks at Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m., FS Ohio pair of free throws and Matthew Dellavedova thwarted one last out-of-bounds play from the Knicks, taking away the first twooptions as Nance stole the ball.
Hood finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 from the field.
Jordan Clarkson added a season-high 28 points on 12-of-21 from the field. Rookie Collin Sexton fizzled late, but still tallied 19 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 18 games. The reserves combined for 64 points.
Dellavedova, still a fan favorite, poured in a season-best 15 points off the bench, getting showered with MVP chants as he toed the free-throw line late.
“Feels great to be back out there. Big rims here,” he said with a smile. “It was great to see a few go in early. I really appreciate the support of everybody and I love the fans here and I appreciate everything they do.”
Dellavedova made his return official at the 4:14 mark of the first quarter, replacing Sexton and receiving his first boisterous ovation. Moments later, he canned a 3-pointer that caused the crowd to erupt. He hit two more in the first half, burying his first three shot attempts in his Cleveland return.
Prior to the game, Drew said he would turn to Dellavedova to handle more responsibility, especially in pressure moments.