National Basketball Association

New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers Recap, Highlights, Final Score, and More

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New York Knicks were blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers on opening night at Quicken Loans Arena.

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It was a rough first night of the regular season for the New York Knicks. They were defeated easily by the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Knicks were able to keep it close in the first half but got their doors blown off in the second.

The Knicks looked a step slower throughout the night, as it was clear they still have some growing to do. Their starting five played zero minutes together during the preseason and it showed. While the Cavaliers look like a well-oiled machine with their starting five returning, the Knicks looked out of sorts as they have three new starters and nine new faces overall.

Having two players in your starting lineup score zero points is never encouraging, but it was a struggle offensively throughout the evening. The Knicks are learning a new system with new point guards, so an adjustment period is expected. Judging by tonight, there is a lot of adjusting still needed.

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On the night, the Knicks shot 36.8 percent and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc; their defense wasn’t up to par either, as they allowed the Cavaliers to shoot 47.9 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep. The only players that were able to get anything going for the Knicks were Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose; those three combined to shoot 20-48; the rest of the team was 12-of-39.

Things will get better for the Knicks, as the defending World Champs are a tough team to start the season against; especially when the arena is as electric as it was tonight for the ring ceremony. But for the Knicks, there was very few positives to take away from their first game of the season.

Three Stars

F LeBron James, Cavaliers — James looked like he was in midseason form against the Knicks tonight. On his return to Cleveland two years ago the Knicks spoiled the night; he would not let that happen again. James registered a triple-double to start the season, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists in 32 minutes.

G Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers — Irving put on a show against the Knicks tonight. He scored at will and looks like a totally different player from the first few seasons of his career. He is someone to watch out for as a sleeper MVP candidate. He got that candidacy off on a strong foot, scoring 29 points on 12-of-22 from the field with four assists, two steals, two rebounds, and zero turnovers.

Knicks Rookies — It may have come in garbage time, but the Knicks youngsters got a good confidence boost tonight. Willy Hernangomez, Ron Baker, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas only played nine, seven, and nine minutes respectively, but they were good minutes. They all made multiple baskets and had the three of the lowest plus/minus ratios on the team tonight.

Highlights

Next Game

The Knicks will take the court again Saturday night in their home opener at Madison Square Garden, hosting the Memphis Grizzlies. The Cavaliers will head on the road Friday in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch against the Toronto Raptors.

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