The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, defeating the New York Knicks 111-104.
Kevin Love returned after missing the previous two games due to back spasms.
Kyrie Irving (quad) rested, which gave DeAndre Liggins the opportunity to start.
Love looked fresh and back to his normal self, scoring 23 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
The All-Star forward hit one of the biggest shots of the night, a corner three off an assist from LeBron James, to build the lead up to eight with less than a minute to play, essentially sealing the victory.
#ThatPassTho #DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/Olnq8RblzY
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 5, 2017
LeBron was brilliant as usual, scoring 32 points and passing for 10 assists.
He became the youngest player in NBA history to eclipse 28,000 career points, joining an elite list of only eight people.
He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Dirk Nowitzki, and Shaquille O’Neal.
That might be the most memorable takeaway from the game, as the Cavs looked like their routinely great selves, dominating for the better part of all four quarters.
It was another example that when the team moves the ball well and gets into a rhythm, the Cavs are tough to stop.
Granted, the Knicks are a mess as usual and Derrick Rose got the night off.
Carmelo Anthony certainly didn’t light up the stat sheet to add fuel to the fire of trade rumors, but he made a few big shots down the stretch and finished with 17 points.
Brandon Jennings led the Knicks with 23 points and ten assists, while Kristaps Porzingis scored nine.
The Cavs’ starting backcourt duo of Liggins and Iman Shumpert didn’t score much, combining for only ten points, but delivered their typical solid defense.
Channing Frye (14 points) and Kyle Korver (11 points) picked up some of the slack off the bench, as the duo knocked down six 3-pointers.
Here are five general takeaways from the game:
1. Love looked better than we’ve seen in the past month, as his January was filled with food poisioning and back issues. Hopefully the back issues, which have been a concern at various points of the season, are behind him.
2. The backup point guard issue shows up on nights like this. LeBron handled the ball to set up the offense most of the night. Shumpert has done all the Cavs could ask of him and more this season on both ends of the floor, but between him, Liggins, and Kay Felder, Cleveland does not have a true point guard to trust in a crucial matchup.
3. Did this game quiet the Melo rumors? It’d be foolish to base that off one game, but it certainly didn’t give fans more reason to get fired up about Carmelo in a Cavs uniform. If anything, Love showed once again why he’s so valuable.
4. In the neverending list of possible Cavs’ backup point guard options, Jennings stepped up in Rose’s absence and had a big game. If the Knicks and Cavs were to pull off a trade this year, perhaps Jennings is a guy who Cleveland could see as a fit. He hasn’t been linked to trade talks, but has played well of late and is signed to a one-year/$5 Mil. deal.
5. It’s nice to start the road trip off with a win, considering how the Cavs fared on the road in January, losing to Utah, Portland, Golden State, New Orleans, and Dallas. Perhaps the Eastern Conference trip turns out better.
The Cavs (34-15) are back in action on Monday in D.C., taking on the Washington Wizards (30-20).
The game will be televised on TNT and tip-off is set for 7 pm ET.
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