Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - LeBron James scored 35 of his 47 points in the first half, as the Cavaliers built a big lead and held on for their 11th straight win, 113-106 over the Knicks.
Cavs-Knicks, In Progress: LeBron Scores 24 Straight Points, 35 By Half
James also dished out eight assists, grabbed eight rebounds and had five steals for Cleveland, which is now 4-0 on a seven-game homestand. Shaquille O’Neal chipped in 19 points, while Anthony Parker scored 11 in the win.
Nate Robinson had a team-high 26 points for New York, which was coming off a 114-107 home loss to the Bucks on Friday. David Lee recorded 20 points and eight rebounds, and Al Harrington netted 16 points off the bench in defeat.
It was a 20-point game, 74-54, in favor of the Cavs at halftime, and a relatively silent third quarter from both offenses picked up when the Knicks scored 11 in a row to pull within 88-77 on a three-pointer from Robinson with under a minute remaining in the quarter.
James put a stop to the run with a make from long distance - his only points of the quarter - and the Cavs were on top 94-80 with 12 minutes to play.
Robinson’s quick layup and three-pointer finally cut the deficit to single- digits, 94-85, and several minutes later it was a one-possession game, 107-104, after Robinson capped a 10-3 run with a bucket and 3:48 showing on the clock.
Chris Duhon missed a potential tying three-pointer after a turnover from James, who made two free throws and consecutive jumpers the next three Cavs possessions to open up a 113-106 lead with 58.9 seconds remaining.
Robinson’s miss the next time down essentially sealed the game’s outcome.
Cleveland has often jumped out with fast starts during its recent hot streak, and Saturday was no different. The Cavs were leading 28-21 late in the opening frame before James single-handedly outscored the Knicks 16-3 over the final three minutes, culminated in his fourth three-pointer in a two-minute span just before the buzzer for a 44-24 lead.
James ended with 23 points in the first and scored Cleveland’s first eight points of the second. The 23 points tied a Quicken Loans Arena mark for most in one quarter and James’ 35 points in a half set a franchise mark.
This is the Cavs’ longest win streak since a 13-game stretch from March 7-31 last season...New York has dropped seven straight to Cleveland...Danilo Gallinari and Jared Jeffries ended with 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Knicks...J.J. Hickson netted 10 points for the Cavs, who made 55.0 percent of their shots and 11-of-22 from three-point range...The Knicks shot at a 52.6 percent clip.
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