Cavaliers rally past Knicks, boost record to 8-1

NEW YORK -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to their best start in 39 years after a 90-84 come-from-behind win over the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Cleveland (8-1) began the 1976-77 season at 8-1.

Forward LeBron James and guard Mo Williams ignited the fourth-quarter turnaround, accounting for 21 of the Cavaliers' 24 fourth quarter points. The Knicks led 80-74 with 5:24 to play before Cleveland closed it out with a 16-4 run.

In their 96-86 win over the Knicks on Nov. 4, the Cavaliers overcame a 15-point deficit.

Williams' jumper put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 86-84 with 40 seconds left and his four free throws in the final 18 seconds sealed the win.

"It is great to have guys who can help you close out games," James said. "I thought everyone did a great job on both ends of the floor, especially Mo (Williams), who came through with a timely shot and free throws at the end."

James finished with 31 points and Williams scored 20. Center Timofey Mozgov chipped in with 11 points and forward Kevin Love added 11 rebounds for Cleveland.

Forward Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks (4-6) with 26 points, but he only scored four points in the second half. He finished 9 of 20 from the floor.

Knicks guard Arron Afflalo, making his Garden debut after being out with a strained left hamstring, tied it at 84 on a turnaround jumper with 1:01 to play. He had 14 points and four assists in his second game back.

James took over down the stretch. He scored six straight points to give Cleveland an 84-82 lead with 1:16 to play on a fadeaway jumper over Anthony and two layups.

"We had to make a decision on who we wanted to go down there in the end," Cleveland coach David Blatt said. "Naturally, with LeBron (James) and his capability of making big plays, we went to him and he used the looks that the defense showed him to make plays for himself and Mo (Williams), who made a couple of big shots and big plays for us."

A layup from James cut the Knicks' lead to 82-81 with 2:39 remaining. He was fouled by Anthony going up on a layup but missed the free throw. Cleveland struggled at the line, converting only 18 of 31 for 58 percent.

The Knicks missed their first 10 shots from the floor in the fourth quarter but maintained a 76-73 lead with 6:32 left.

After a hot first half, Anthony fell into a cold spell in the second half, missing his first nine shots from the floor.

"We have to trust our execution and continue to play as a team," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. "We get into trouble when we try to manufacture offense as individuals rather than as a unit.

"It's my job to make sure we continue to improve and to do a better job of putting guys in a better position to be successful out there."

Cleveland forward Tristan Thompson, playing in his 297th straight game, made two free throws to tie the score at 66 with 4:00 left in the third, but the Knicks ended the quarter on a 6-0 spurt to take a 72-66 cushion. Langston Galloway scored on a layup and a floater in the sequence.

Anthony was 8 of 11 from the floor in the first half for 22 points, helping the Knicks to a 53-46 halftime edge.

New York whittled away an early nine-point Cleveland lead, moving ahead 36-35 on a 3-pointer from Anthony with 6:33 left in the second. That basket ignited the Knicks, who went on to outscore the Cavaliers 17-11.

The Knicks battled back from an early first-quarter deficit to tie it at 21, mostly on the strength of Anthony's mid- to long-range jumpers, but Cleveland closed on an 8-2 run to move ahead 29-23.

Anthony poured in 14 points in the first quarter. James led the Cavaliers with 10 points, including a sterling alley-oop dunk off the baseline.

NOTES: Cleveland G Kyrie Irving missed his ninth game of the season recovering from surgery to repair a fractured knee and G Iman Shumpert missed his ninth game with a ruptured extensor carpi ulnaris (wrist). ... G Cleanthony Early was inactive for the Knicks. ... Friday was the first game of a three-game road trip for the Cavaliers. They travel to Milwaukee on Saturday and to Detroit on Nov. 17. ... F Kristaps Porzingis is the first rookie in NBA history to have at least 115 points, 88 rebounds and six 3-pointers in his first 10 games. Porzingis entered Friday fourth among rookies in scoring and second in rebounds. He had 11 points and seven rebounds on Friday. ... Former Knicks G J.R. Smith made just 3 of 10 shots from the field, scoring eight points.