NBA Knicks hand Cavs yet another defeat
After the Cavaliers’ fourth loss in five games, LeBron James is turning to the calendar for comfort.
“What month is this for me? October? I’m not about to go crazy over it right now. It’s too long of a season. I’ve been a part of this way too many times,” James said after Sunday night’s 114-95 loss to the Knicks in Cleveland.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 34 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 32 and New York won for the second time after losing its first three games.
Cleveland, which was blown out by Orlando at home and lost to Brooklyn during this stretch, fell below .500. The Cavaliers were routed 123-101 in New Orleans on Saturday.
“Tonight’s loss and the last couple are unacceptable,” head coach Tyronn Lue said.
The Cavaliers are favorites to return to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season, but their issues continued, particularly on the defensive end.
“Guys are scoring at will against us,” James said. “Our defense is pretty bad right now.”
New York, after getting its first win Friday over the Nets, led 89-71 late in the third quarter. Cleveland cut it to 94-88 on James’ drive, forcing New York to call a timeout with 8:21 left.
Courtney Lee scored on a drive and hit a three-pointer, helping the Knicks make it 103-88. New York took its largest lead, 114-93, in the final minute.
“We could have folded against a veteran team like that, but we made some big shots and pulled it out,” New York head coach Jeff Hornacek said.
New York beat Cleveland for the first time since Oct. 30, 2014 — James’ first game back with the Cavaliers after playing four seasons in Miami — a span that covered 10 games.
“It’s nice to finally beat the Cavs for the first time in my career,” Porzingis said. “Hopefully, we can be in the playoffs, where that really matters.”
Hardaway came into Sunday shooting 27 percent in four games but scored 24 points in the first half. He was 11-for-19 from the field and hit 5 of 10 three-point tries.
Kevin Love led the Cavs with 22 points; James had 16. Derrick Rose returned after missing four games with a left ankle sprain and scored 15 points.
Cleveland led 13-10, but Hardaway scored 10 points, including two three-pointers and a dunk off an alley-oop pass from ex-Warriors guard Jarrett Jack, as New York went on a 14-0 run.
The Cavaliers tied it 49-49 late in the second quarter, but the Knicks scored seven straight points and pushed the lead to 62-54 at halftime. Bucks 117, Hawks 106: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Khris Middleton had 27 and Milwaukee cruised at Atlanta. Antetokounmpo also had 11 rebounds and five assists. He shot 14-for-21, scoring from all over the court, while helping Milwaukee to its third win in four games. Pacers 97, Spurs 94: Victor Oladipo’s step-back three-pointer with 10.3 seconds left completed a late comeback that gave host Indiana a rare victory over San Antonio. Oladipo finished with 23 points and five assists, and Domantas Sabonis added career highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. It’s only the third time in 20 games that the Pacers downed the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 26 points and eight rebounds to lead San Antonio. Wizards 110, Kings 83: John Wall scored 11 of his 19 points in the first quarter and had nine assists, Otto Porter Jr. had 16 points and Washington won in Sacramento. Bradley Beal added 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting for the Wizards. Hornets 120, Magic 113: Kemba Walker had 34 points and 10 assists, and host Charlotte snapped Orlando’s three-game win streak.Howard had a season-high 22 points against his former team, eight of those off alleyoop dunks. Jeremy Lamb had 20 points, his sixth straight game with at least 15 points while subbing for injured Nic Batum. Jonathon Simmons had 27 points off the bench for the Magic. Nuggets 124, Nets 111: Jamal Murray scored 26 points, Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and visiting Denver won its second straight game. Wilson Chandler added 18 points for the Nuggets. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 22 points for Brooklyn. Sixers’ Fultz shelved: Philadelphia guard Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely with soreness in his right shoulder. The Sixers said the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft has scapular-muscle imbalance. He’ll be re-evaluated in three weeks.