National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New York 117, Cleveland 86
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 30, 2014
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #42 Eric Lewis, #68 Marat Kogut
Attendance: 19812

Knicks 117, Cavaliers 86: Carmelo Anthony poured in 29 points in three quarters and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 of his 29 in the fourth quarter as New York pounded visiting Cleveland for its fourth straight victory.

J.R. Smith started in place of Iman Shumpert (shoulder) and put up 19 points for the Knicks, who improved to 11-15 at Madison Square Garden. Raymond Felton scored 12 points to go with nine assists and Tyson Chandler contributed 11 points and eight rebounds for New York.

Kyrie Irving scored 24 points to lead the Cavaliers, who were without center Anderson Varejao (knee) for the second straight game. Dion Waiters added 21 points in a reserve role and Luol Deng tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds as Cleveland lost for the fifth time in six games.

The Knicks went 12-for-20 from the floor in the first quarter, including Smith's heave from beyond half-court at the buzzer, and rode Anthony's 18-point outburst to a 38-21 lead. Anthony hit a pair of free throws with 4:22 left in the half to put the Knicks ahead 58-29, and they settled for a 60-36 advantage at the break.

New York was a bit complacent in the third quarter, allowing Cleveland to trim the deficit to 81-65 behind 11 points from Irving. The Knicks allowed Anthony to take the fourth quarter off but still stretched the lead back out as Hardaway went 7-for-10 from the floor in the final period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Outgoing NBA commissioner David Stern was in attendance and was honored with a video tribute. Stern will step down Saturday after a 30-year run as commissioner. … Anthony, who has topped 20 points in 10 consecutive games, surpassed 19,000 career points. … Irving has scored 20 or more points in seven of the last eight contests.

Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   New York
Kyrie Irving 24 Scoring Carmelo Anthony 29
Kyrie Irving 3 Assists Raymond Felton 9
Luol Deng 11 Rebounds Tyson Chandler 8
Luol Deng 6 Free Throws Made Carmelo Anthony 10
Jarrett Jack 2 Steals Jeremy Tyler 2
Henry Sims 2 Blocks Tyson Chandler 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 86 35.6 8-23 16-22 14 36 2 10 12
New York 117 56.6 12-26 19-28 21 44 10 5 16
Upcoming Games
  • New York will play their next game at home against Miami. The Knicks have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .393 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Houston. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .400 after a loss.