NBA Game Recap - New York at Cleveland
Mon Feb 11, 2019 7:00 PM EST

CHA
90
IND
99
F
WAS
112
DET
121
F
NY
104
CLE
107
F
BKN
125
TOR
127
F
POR
111
OKC
120
F
LAC
120
MIN
130
F
DAL
104
HOU
120
F
MIL
112
CHI
99
F
MIA
87
DEN
103
F

Feb 11, 2019, 7:00 PM EST

Final

1

2

3

4

T

New York

22

26

31

25

104

Cleveland

30

33

26

18

107

Cavs send Knicks to franchise-record 17th straight loss
Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:31 AM

CLEVELAND (AP) The New York Knicks' franchise-record 17th straight loss might have been the toughest one to take.

The Knicks erased a 17-point deficit in the second half and had several chances to take the lead or tie the game in the final minute before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-104 on Monday night.

"It's incredibly hard," said guard Dennis Smith Jr. "No one wants to lose, especially 17 in a row. Tonight would've been major for us if we'd have pulled it out."

Collin Sexton, who led Cleveland with 20 points, hit two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to put the Cavaliers up by three.

John Jenkins missed a 3-pointer from the right corner, but Smith grabbed the rebound and dribbled to the left corner. He also missed a 3-pointer and Larry Nance Jr. tapped the rebound to midcourt as time ran out.

Luke Kornet, who hit a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch, missed a wide-open 3 with 21 seconds remaining that would have put the Knicks ahead.

"When you've got a chance at the end, if you don't win, it hurts," coach David Fizdale said. "We had a shot - actually two - and we got the look we wanted. It just didn't go down. And before that, we got a real good look from one of our best shooters in Kornet."

Nance had 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson scored 15 points. Kevin Love had 14 points and nine rebounds in his second game since returning from foot surgery. The All-Star forward played 16 minutes, all in the first half. Love was 4 of 10 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and had nine rebounds.

Love played Friday against Washington after missing 50 games. He scored four points in six first-quarter minutes.

"I felt like the last game I wasn't able to open up my lungs like I was tonight," Love said. "It felt pretty good to get out there and feel like I got in some sort of rhythm."

Love said he thinks he'll play Wednesday against Brooklyn in Cleveland's final game before the All-Star break.

"He's doing some things that we've really missed over his absence," coach Larry Drew said. "You can put him in the post and he can manufacture a shot and get to the free throw line. He moves out to the 3 against a bigger guy. He looks good. He's moving very well."

Kadeem Allen scored a career-high 25 points for the Knicks. New York (10-46) has the worst record in the league, and has lost 25 of 26 and 30 of its last 32 games.

Cleveland (12-45) broke a four-game losing streak.

Kevin Knox scored 13 points while DeAndre Jordan had 12 points and 10 rebounds for New York.

Both teams are in the running for a prime spot in the draft lottery, which takes place May 14. The three worst teams in the league will have a 14 percent chance of getting the first pick in the draft and a shot at grabbing Duke center Zion Williamson.

Phoenix (11-47) and Chicago (13-44) are also possibilities for a top-three pick.

The Cavaliers led wire-to-wire and jumped to an 8-0 lead, leading Fizdale to use a timeout less than 90 seconds into the game.

The Knicks, who traded injured star Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas on Jan. 31, have their longest skid within one season. New York lost 20 in a row over two seasons, March 23-Nov. 9, 1985.

TIP-INS

Knicks: Jenkins was signed to a 10-day contract earlier in the day. He scored seven points in nine minutes. .. G Emmanuel Mudiay (strained left shoulder) and G Frank Ntilikina (sore groin) remain out.

Cavaliers: F Tristan Thompson (sore left foot) likely won't play until after the All-Star break. He has missed the last 12 games. ... F Cedi Osman (sprained right ankle) was out for the fourth straight game. .... C Ante Zizic (sore lower back) was a late scratch.

THAT'S A LONG STREAK

The Knicks' loss gives them the 34th losing streak of at least 17 games in NBA history and the longest skid since the Memphis Grizzlies dropped 19 in a row last season.

New York hasn't won since a 119-112 victory over the Lakers on Jan. 4.

A WIN

Cleveland won for the first time this season with Love on the floor. He played the first four games in the Cavaliers' 0-6 start and returned for Friday's loss in Washington.

UP NEXT

Knicks: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Cavaliers: Host Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Leaders

New York PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
K. Allen 25 -1 6 3 1 0
K. Knox 13 -10 3 6 0 1
Cleveland PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
C. Sexton 20 12 3 1 1 0
L. Nance 15 6 4 16 1 1

Team Comparison

NY CLE
Points For 104 107
Field Goals 42/92-46% 38/95-40%
Three Pointers 7/26-27% 14/44-32%
Free Throws 13/20-65% 17/19-89%
Offensive Rebounds 10 17
Defensive Rebounds 36 39
Rebounds 52 64
Blocks 9 2
Steals 8 6
Turnovers 10 18
Points Scored Off Turnovers 18 15
Points in the Paint 52 46
Fast Break Points 17 10
Personal Fouls 17 16
Technical Fouls 1 0
Flagrant Fouls 0 0
Ejections 0 0

2018-19 Reg Season - CLE Leads Series 2-0

Date Result Away Pts Ldr Home Pts Ldr
Wed Dec 12 NY 106 @ CLE 113 E. Kanter 20 J. Clarkson 28
Mon Feb 11 NY 104 @ CLE 107 K. Allen 25 C. Sexton 20

Game Information

Stadium: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 19,432
Game Time: 2:8