CLEVELAND, OH — It looked like the Cavaliers were going to get their first home win since December. They led by 10 points with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks rallied for a 139-134 overtime win.
New York stormed back after falling behind 118-108 to take a 125-122 lead. Collin Sexton drained a 26-foot 3-pointer to tie the game with 33 seconds left.
Marcus Morris’ jumper rimmed out at the buzzer, which gave the Cavs another chance to pick up the home win in overtime.
Kevin Love and Darius Garland both made shots to give the Cavaliers the lead in the extra period, but Morris and the Knicks responded with big shots down the stretch.
Cleveland trailed by three in the closing seconds. Garland's 20-foot jump shot rimmed out and New York held on for the win.
Love finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. All five Cavaliers starters scored at least 14 points.
“I do like the way we competed,” Cavaliers head coach John Beilein said. "My favorite play was Kevin diving on the floor, getting the ball, we got a dunk at the other end and that’s the way we want to compete and we did tonight. The way he’s played over these last couple of weeks, and he’s had some really good games, today was one of his best for us. Energy and communicating with the other guys on the team, we don’t even come close without him today.”
This was fun #Cavs pic.twitter.com/fH9krYEMfA
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) February 4, 2020Collin Sexton finished with 29 points and seven assists.
The Cavs shot the ball well, but couldn't get stops on defense, especially when they neeeded them most. The Knicks made 56 percent of their shot attempts and scored at least 30 points in all four quarters.
The Cavs finished with a season-high 34 assists.
Elfrid Payton finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists for the Knicks.
The Cavaliers fall to 13-38 on the season and 6-21 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. They've lost four straight and 11 of their last 12 games.
Late Scratch
Tristan Thompson didn’t play on Monday night due to right quad soreness. He went through his normal pregame routine and was expected to suit up.
Thompson is one of the many players that could be on the move ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. He’s in the final year of his contract and might’ve played his last game in a Cavaliers’ uniform. The team reportedly made Thompson ‘available’ in trade talks.
Up Next
The Cavaliers travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.
