Cavs go for eighth straight win over Knicks
The Cleveland Cavaliers could be without one of their key ingredients when they face the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Ohio
Guard J.R. Smith's knee buckled late in the first quarter of Cleveland's 116-112 win at Toronto on Monday. An MRI showed no structural damage to his knee. He is listed day-to-day.
"I just landed wrong," Smith told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Was just trying to shoot my normal floater and I came down on it wrong."
Smith was hurt after converting with 1:52 left in the first quarter. He landed awkwardly on the shot but made it to the defensive end before collapsing in pain.
The former Knick isn't the only banged-up player on Cleveland. Before Smith went down against the Raptors, LeBron James landed awkwardly after converting an alley-oop in the first quarter. He hurt his left knee on the play but was able to stay in the game after a timeout.
He recovered fine, posting a season-best 34 points on a season-high 26 shots.
"It was a bang-bang play, a little undercut on the lob and I fell on my knee a little bit wrong," James said. "It's been better, but I was able to finish the game so that's a positive. Get a lot of treatment around the clock and get ready for Wednesday."
Cleveland is looking for its eighth straight win over the Knicks.
Channing Frye, Cleveland's best long-range shooter, has missed five games because of the deaths of his mother and father.
Mike Dunleavy, a key reserve, hasn't really produced and the Cavaliers have basically played all season without a backup point guard, but Cleveland owns the best record (14-5) in the Eastern Conference,
In 45 games against the Knicks, James is averaging 27.2 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. On opening night, James recorded the first of his three triple-doubles this season -- 19 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds -- in a 117-88 win at Cleveland.
The Knicks (12-9) are coming off a 114-103 win at Miami, where Carmelo Anthony scored 35 points for the second time this season. Second-year forward Kristaps Porzingis recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds and center Joakim Noah, who has been plagued by illness and injuries, had his finest game as a Knick. The free-agent acquisition from the Chicago Bulls scored 10 points and pulled in 10 rebounds.
Derrick Rose left Tuesday's game with back spasms after playing 22 minutes and scoring 10 points. His status for Wednesday was uncertain.
New York is 0-4 on the second night of back-to-backs. The resurgent Knicks are over .500 this late in the season for just the third time in 12 years.
