New York, NY (92.3 The Fan) - The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their first preseason contest with a 100-93 decision to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at the Garden.
The Cavs led for most of the contest and held an 80-66 lead after three quarters, but New York outscored Cleveland 34-13 in the final period for a comeback victory, their second in the four-game preseason.
Andre Drummond led the scoring for Cleveland with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, along with 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Darius Garland also chipped in 13 points, while rookies Dylan Windler and Isaac Okoro 11 and 10, respectively.
On the winning side, Julius Randle matched Drummond with 18 points on 7-of-10 from the floor. R.J. Barrett and Kevin Knox added 16 points apiece (with Knox's coming off the bench), and Mitchell Robinson put up 13 points.
The Cavs went into the first of their two-game exhibition trip to the Big Apple without many of their key players, including Kevin Love (calf strain), Collin Sexton (ankle sprain), Cedi Osman (ankle sprain), Larry Nance Jr. (concussion), JaVale McGee, Matthew Dellavedova (concussion), Dante Exum (hip), and Kevin Porter Jr. (personal reasons).
The Cavaliers will take on the Knicks in a rematch this Friday, the last of the exhibitions before opening the season this Wednesday, Dec. 23 against the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
