Streaky Knicks Crush Cavs for Fourth Straight Win

NEW YORK -- Ever since a pre-game Muhammad Ali video inspired Carmelo Anthony’s record-breaking 62-point game last week, the New York Knicks have made a habit of delivering early knockout blows.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving 

guards New York Knicks point guard Raymond 

Felton during the Knicks' victory at Madison Square 

Garden, on January 30, 2014 (Photo: Jon Wagner)

Building a first-half lead of at least 21 points for the third time during their current four-game winning streak, the Knicks (19-27) obliterated the Cleveland Cavaliers (16-30), 117-86, at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. 

Making nine of its first 11 shots, New York jumped out to a 26-9 lead (following a 22-4 surge) six seconds past the midpoint of the opening quarter and maintained that margin while taking a 38-21 edge into the second period, after the Knicks’ highest-scoring period of the season.

All but three of New York’s points in the quarter came from Anthony (18 points), guard J.R. Smith (11) and center Chandler (6).

“They hit us in the mouth and things became easy for them in the second and third quarters,” said Cleveland star point guard Kyrie Irving, who was rendered a non-factor on 10-of-25 shooting, despite leading the Cavaliers with 24 points. “Things went in their favor. It started when they hit us in the mouth in the first quarter.”

Two made free throws gave Anthony (29 points on 8-of-17 shooting) 16 points and the Knicks a 33-18 lead with 2:42 left in the quarter. The first of those foul shots simultaneously made Anthony the 50^th player in NBA history to scored 19,000 points while breaking New York’s previous first-period high of 31 points.

After starting 5-for-8, Anthony misfired on two jumpers on the Knicks’ last trip of the quarter, to barely miss recording his second 20-point first period in a week (after he scored 20 first-quarter points six nights earlier, on his way to setting new franchise and Garden single-game scoring records).    

Joining Anthony in the milestone department was rookie Tim Hardaway, Jr., who matched Anthony’s point total while taking the same number of shots, but making three more, to lead his team in scoring for the first time as a professional.

Much of Hardaway’s damage came from behind the arc,

Rookie guard Tim Hardaway, Jr. scores two of his 
career-high 29 points to help lead the New York Knicks 
over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, 
on January 30, 2014 (Photo: Jon Wagner)

 where he made half of his dozen 3-point attempts to tie New York’s single-game rookie record (shared by Nate Robinson and Toney Douglas). His 29 points were a career-high and came hours after being named to the rookie-sophomore Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star weekend next month.      

“It’s an honor,” Hardaway said, to be selected for the game in New Orleans on February 14.

Just before their winning streak began, the Knicks’ lack of scoring from their starting backcourt contributed heavily to New York losing five straight games, which came after a five-game winning streak.

But even while getting just four combined first-half points from guards Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni (who went scoreless), the Knicks’ starters still outscored Cleveland, 43-36, by halftime, while at one point, doubling the Cavaliers, 58-29, before settling for a 60-36 lead at intermission.

Although Cleveland tried to make a second-half run, New York pulled away late while finishing 21 percent better (56.6-35.6 percent) from the field, while making a dozen more shots (43-31) despite taking 11 fewer (87-76).   

An Anthony 3-pointer put the Knicks up, 70-41, early in the third quarter, but behind 11 third-period points from Irving, the Cavaliers closed the quarter on a 24-11 spurt to get within 81-65.

They trimmed the gap to as little as 85-71 on a 3-pointer by Irving, 59 seconds into the final period, but a 10-2 run put things out of reach, with New York ahead, 95-73, with 8:50 remaining.

Just 1:14 later, Smith, who finished with 19 points, dazzled the sellout crowd with a fast break, reverse dunk, to push the lead to 100-76, after a rebound and outlet pass from Hardaway. 

Earlier, Smith excited the fans even more when he shook top overall pick Anthony Bennett in the left corner, and then blew by him along the left baseline before throwing down a vicious slam that gave the Knicks a 24-9 advantage.  

Bennett was whistled for three of 11 Cleveland’s fouls in the first quarter, which helped send the Knicks to the line 16 times (where New York made 10 foul shots) in the period.

“You have to give the Knicks credit,” head coach Mike Brown said. “They came out and jumped on us.”

With Smith and Hardaway helping out, Anthony was able to sit the last quarter out for a second straight game.

 “It was fun to watch,” Anthony said of the play by Smith and Hardaway. “Just to see them guys, especially Tim,” he continued. “To see him get in that groove tonight, it was special to watch, and J.R continues to keep getting better and playing well. That’s something that we’re going to need especially trying to make the run that we’re trying to make heading into the end of the season.”

On Smith, head coach Mike Woodson added, “I think he is playing more relaxed. He is more engaged and in tune, and he is doing what we want from him… it’s nice to see.”

Woodson also said of Hardaway, “He was steady. He picked up the two fouls early. He came back in and played beautifully. He played great.”

Having again turned things around after New York’s latest struggles, Anthony said, “The most important thing we didn’t do was point fingers. When you point fingers through tough times, it just crumbles everything, and for us, we had to face it. Everybody had to man up and face that adversity.”

Doing that has helped New York win seven of its past 10 games at home, after starting just 4-12 at MSG this season.

“It's starting to feel a lot better here on our own court,” Anthony said, before admitting that his scoring outburst last Friday night has seemed to galvanize his teammates.

“Sometimes during the season you need something to just spark it,” he said. “If that’s the case, then yeah, that 62-point game sparked it. It got guys to refocusing again, and everybody’s doing what they have to do right now.”

That Knicks won that game, against Charlotte by the same 31 points they beat Cleveland by, and they defeated Boston by 26 points on Tuesday.

New York completed its first winning month of the season, going 10-6 in January, after starting 9-21 over October, November and December. But the Knicks would also like to end their season-long, eight-game homestand with a winning record after starting that stretch 0-3. They can do that if they once again beats the defending champion Miami Heat on Saturday night, on the eve of the New York area’s first Super Bowl. New York won the teams’ only meeting, also at MSG, on January 9.

Saturday evening’s contest will mark the dawning of a new NBA era featuring current deputy commissioner Adam Silver taking over as commissioner for David Stern, who will retire after a remarkable 30-year run that grew the league’s popularity exponentially.

“This is the last game at the Garden where the ball’s going to have my name on it,” Stern told MSG Network’s Al Trautwig during the game.

Jon Wagner is a Yahoo Sports contributor covering the New York Knicks, New York Giants and New York Mets. He also covers the Knicks, Hofstra University men's basketball and the New York Cosmos for New York Sports Day. Follow Jon on Twitter, @JonathanJWagner, and visit his Yahoo Contributor Network page by clicking here.