The Knicks have led Cleveland in the fourth quarter of each of their three meetings this season, and each time, LeBron James has directed his team to victory. After battling back from an 11-point deficit, Derek Fisher’s team was in position to win once again, tonight without Carmelo Anthony or Kyle O’Quinn (sprained ankles).
Langston Galloway’s 23-foot jumper gave New York an 82-80 lead with 4:07 remaining, but an 11-2 Cleveland run from that point on sealed the 91-84 win for the East-leading Cavs. James (24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) would end up with nine of his team’s 19 fourth quarter points, overshadowing another standout performance from Kristaps Porzingis.
With his team playing shorthanded, Porzingis connected on a season-high four 3-pointers (in five tries), made plays out of the high post (four assists) and crashed the boards for his best rebounding total since November (13). In a game-high 38 minutes, his 23 points (on 8-of-18 shooting) carried the Knicks offense during long stretches; at one point he scored 10 of their 14 points to help erase Cleveland’s lead late in the third quarter.
Arron Afflalo finished with 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Jose Calderon delivered an efficient night — 4-for-5 shooting for 10 points and six assists — including a trey to tie the game at 68. Derrick Williams added 11 points off the bench, but Cleveland’s 36-20 advantage in points in the paint proved too much to overcome for the Knicks, playing without their second- and fourth-leading rebounders.
