The Cavaliers upset the Knicks with a career-high 37 points from Ricky Rubio.
(AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — On Sunday night, Ricky Rubio scored a career-high 37 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 126-109 victory against the New York Knicks.
Cleveland has won four straight games to climb to 7-4 on the season. Darius Garland scored 16 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 and Evan Mobley had 26.
“We’ve won the scrap in the games we’ve won,” Cavs coachCavs coach JB Bickerstaff said. “We are the winners of the tournament.” The grunt labour. The nitty-gritty of it. We’ve shown that we don’t have to be beautiful all of the time. The most essential thing to us is to establish that identity.”
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Rubio’s previous career best was 34 points, which he set in a game against San Antonio in 2018.
“It seems like you’re running the appropriate plays when the ball goes in,” Rubio remarked. “However, it’s not about the score.” It’s about always (taking) the correct road and (going) the right (way).”
New York has dropped to 6-4 after losing three of its last four games. The Knicks were led by Julius Randle, who scored 19 points, while Derek Rose, who began at point guard, had 15. Evan Fournier got 15 points as well.
When asked whether there was a common denominator in the recent string of defeats, Randle stated, “I feel like there are instances we can’t get stops.” “There’s got to be a better way.”
After trailing 57-56 at halftime, Cleveland outscored the Knicks 33-18 in the third quarter to lead 89-75 going into the fourth.
Bickerstaff stated, “We know where we can go.” “This squad has a depth to it that we know we can tap into. That’s all there is to the scrap. That’s how we crank things up a notch.
New York made just 9 of 31 3-point attempts, while Cleveland made 19 of 35.
Late in the third quarter, Cleveland announced that guard Collin Sexton will miss the balance of the game due to a left knee injury. In 12 1/2 minutes, he scored eight points and four assists. When Bickerstaff talked with reporters after the game, he had no update on Sexton’s health.
Cleveland Cavaliers: With Sexton and Garland
Cleveland’s future backcourt might be set. In Allen and Mobley, the third overall choice in the 2021 draught, the Cavaliers might have a front court combo. Before the game, Bickerstaff stated of Mobley, “The longer he’s on the court, the more wonderful things happen because he’s that sort of guy.”
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau revealed during his pregame availability that starting point guard Kemba Walker will not play due to an unknown ailment “The doctors advised me to take it easy.”
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