The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks, 90-84 on Friday night (Saturday morning in Australia) behind LeBron James’ 31-point performance.

The Cavaliers’ best player also played excellent defence on superstar counterpart Carmelo Anthony, who had 26 points, but struggled to make the baskets in the crucial final quarter.

James shot 12-of-21 from the field and added 6 assists and 2 steals but he also had great help from Mo Williams, who finished with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Kevin Love struggled for just 7 points missing 8-of-10 shots but finished with 11 rebounds.

Timofey Mozgov had 11 points and 7 rebounds and Australian back-up guard Matthew Dellavedova had 9 points on 4-of-8 shooting with 4 rebounds in 28 minutes.

The Cavaliers started off well leading 29-23 at the end of the first quarter but Anthony and the Knicks grabbed the lead halfway into the second quarter and led 48-42 at halftime. The Knicks protected the lead for most of the second half but the Cavaliers would eventually tie and grab the lead courtesy of James' baskets late in the game.

New York led 82-78 with 2:40 to go before James racked up three straight shots to give the Cavaliers the 84-82 lead with 1:15 to go in the game. Williams made a 17-footer with 41 seconds to go for a 86-84 lead and the Cavaliers held on to the victory.

Anthony shot 9-of-20 from the field and had 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the Knicks, which have suffered back-to-back losses to drop to 4-6 for the season. New York hosts the New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets in their next two games.

After falling to the Chicago Bulls in their season-opener, the Cavaliers have won eight in a row and looks to extend their winning streak against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

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