There’s nothing like a wire-to-wire road win to wash away the lingering taste of a bad loss, and that’s exactly what the Wine and Gold got on Saturday night – opening up an early lead and coasting to the finish line, earning a season sweep of the Knicks with the 107-93 win at The Garden.
With Kyrie Irving getting the night off as Coach Lue continues to rest his starters down the stretch, the other two-thirds of Cleveland’s Big Three were exactly that on Saturday night – combining for 55 points, 23 boards and 12 assists.
Against New York, LeBron James notched his second triple-double this week, his third this season and 42nd of his illustrious career – finishing with 27 points, 11 boards and 10 assists. The four-time MVP went 10-of-21 from the floor, 2-of-3 from long-range and 5-of-6 from the stripe, adding a pair of blocked shots and a steal.
Kevin Love was just as sharp, going 10-of-19 from the floor and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc to lead the Cavaliers with 28 points and 12 boards to register his team-leading 31st double-double – including each of the last three games.
With the frustrating loss from Brooklyn still fresh in their minds, the Cavaliers jumped all over the Knicks early on Saturday – taking a 17-point lead after one quarter and extending that edge to 24 by intermission, holding New York to 32 first-half points.
In the third quarter, Carmelo Anthony caught fire and went 4-of-4 from long-distance, netting 12 of New York’s 40 points in the period. The Knicks continued chipping away in the fourth, by never managed to cut Cleveland’s lead under double-digits.
J.R. Smith was solid in his return to the Big Apple – finishing with 13 points on 3-for-8 shooting from three-point range, 5-of-11 overall, adding three boards and a pair of assists. The only other Cavalier in double-figures was Matthew Dellavedova – getting the start in place of Irving – who chipped in with 10 points, four boards and two helpers.
Mo Williams – seeing his first action since February 24 – led all Cavalier reserves with eight points – going 2-for-2 from deep and 3-of-6 overall in 13 minutes of action.
After allowing the Knicks to shot just 29 percent from the floor – including 10 percent from long-distance – in the first half, the Cavaliers eased up a little in the second stanza. They still managed to hold New York to 42 percent shooting and, for the fourth time this season, didn’t allow Carmelo and Co. to top the century mark.
The Cavaliers shot 45 percent from the floor and canned 14 triples – their 11th straight game of double-digit treys. They outrebounded the Knicks, 53-41, and easily outscored them in the paint, 40-26, and on the break, 15-2.
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