Vintage James Harden leads Cavs in 115-107 win over Knicks
· Yahoo Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers finally got a win over the New York Knicks after five straight losses dating back to last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
That felt good.
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James Harden, who has been a lightning rod for criticism, put together the best half of basketball he’s played this season. Harden scored 17 points on 3-for-5 three-point shooting in the first half, surpassing his season average of 15 points per game in just the opening quarters.
The second half was more of the same from Harden, who finished with a season-high 32 points. His isolation scoring kept them from falling victim to any dry spells against New York’s defense.
The Cavs have needed this type of production from their point guard. Harden’s slow start hasn’t been the only issue for this team — but it was one of the non-negotiables that would need to be addressed if the Cavs were ever going to get back on track. This was an encouraging step in the right direction for the 37-year-old star.
Rookie Meleek Thomas gave quality minutes off the bench. Thomas found a rhythym early in the second quarter, snaking around pick-and-rolls and burying fall-away jumpers. His smooth shooting and defensive intensity have put Thomas ahead of schedule in his development.
Thomas wasn’t the only young guard who impressed tonight. Tyrese Proctor continues to take steps forward in his sophomore season, scoring 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He’s a steady shooter who fights hard on defense and played a key role in Cleveland’s best runs tonight.
Both Thomas and Proctor made big plays in the fourth quarter by feeding off of Donovan Mitchell’s gravity. The Knicks began trapping Mitchell aggressively, and it was Proctor and Thomas who served as release valves for this critical stretch of the game.
The Knicks were led in scoring by Jalen Brunson with 27 points. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21 points while Deuce McBride added 19 points off the bench.
New York’s off-ball movement is something the Cavs still struggle with. They conceded a handful of wide-open layups as a result of this. But Cleveland’s overall effort and connectivity were much higher than they had been in either of their last two games.
Donovan Mitchell helped close the game by showing patience against pressure. He accepted New York’s double teams in the fourth quarter and got the ball out of his hands to allow his teammates to play with an advantage. The execution wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to win the game.
Finally, Peyton Watson’s 4 blocks pushed Cleveland over the top. He shot just 2-of-12 from the floor, but wreaked havoc defensively and recorded the game-sealing block by hustling back in transition to save a score.
The Cavs improve to 6-6 on the season and play the Miami Heat on Friday.