LeBron James is crediting Kyrie Irving's development as to why the Cleveland Cavaliers are a more cohesive team than when they opened the season with a dispiriting loss to the New York Knicks.
The visiting Cavaliers can avenge that result with a season-high fifth straight victory Thursday night as they try to hand the Knicks a sixth consecutive defeat.
Cleveland (9-7) capped a 4-1 homestand Tuesday with a 111-108 win over Milwaukee. Irving had 28 points, Kevin Love scored 27 and James finished with 26 points and 10 assists for the Cavaliers, who matched the run from Nov. 7-15 as their best this season.
Irving is averaging 20.5 points while shooting 55.4 percent with 5.0 assists per game during this win streak. He made 10 of 15 shots Tuesday.
"He's patient, he knows how to run the team, he knows what he needs to do to run the team, how to get himself and others involved," James said. "He's just very patient and I think he has a lot of confidence, not only himself but he has a lot of guys around him that can help him so he doesn't have to press, and I think that's very key."
Cleveland's stars weren't on the same page in a 95-90 home loss to New York (4-15) on Oct. 30. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 25 points while James had a rough night with 17 points and a season-high eight turnovers in his much-anticipated return to action in a Cavaliers uniform.
New York won its next game after that contest but has been abysmal since. The Knicks try to avoid an 0-3 homestand after Tuesday's 98-93 loss to Brooklyn.
Anthony scored 20 points and grabbed nine boards and Jose Calderon added 19 points for New York, outscored 48-26 in the paint.
"If we were 4-15 and every time you watch us play, we couldn't beat the other team, I'd be concerned," first-year coach Derek Fisher said. "But we're seeing enough to let us know that if we just control the parts that we can control, we can actually win some of these games.
"Am I happy about it? No. None of those players in the locker room are happy about it. But concern is a defeated word. That's a word of not believing that you can still figure things. We still believe that right now."
New York is last in the NBA with an average of 31.2 points in the paint and 12.4 drives per game. The Knicks, who visit Charlotte on Friday, are 0-4 in the first half of back-to-back games.
Cleveland starts a three-game trip, with Irving seeking his first victory in four tries at Madison Square Garden. It's also a special contest for first-year coach David Blatt.
"The Garden is a significant part of the history of the National Basketball Association, so for me or for anyone going there for the first time as part of the NBA, I think it's special," Blatt said.
New York is hoping that J.R. Smith returns after he missed one game with flu-like symptoms.
