James Harden snapped a slump by scoring 32 points, including a fourth-quarter 3-pointer that put the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers ahead for good in a 115-107 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
The win ended the Cavaliers’ five-game losing streak against the Knicks, which dated to the Eastern Conference finals in May, when New York swept the series en route to the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years.
The 32 points were a season-high for the 37-year-old Harden, who signed a three-year, $97 million extension in August. Harden scored more than 20 points just once in the first 11 games.
Jarrett Allen (11 points, 14 rebounds) recorded a double-double, while Donovan Mitchell had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, who won for just the second time in six games this month. Tyrese Proctor (15) and Meleek Thomas (14) scored in double figures off the bench.
Karl-Anthony Towns (21 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) posted his 11th double-double in as many games this season for the Knicks, who fell to 6-5 after an 0-3 start. Jalen Brunson scored 27 and Miles McBride had 19 off the bench. OG Anunoby added 14 while reserve Landry Shamet collected 12.
The Knicks trailed by 12 in the first quarter and led just twice, but they tied the game twice in the third quarter before erasing a 10-point deficit in the fourth.
A pair of free throws by Anunoby tied the score for the last time at 101-101 with 5:09 left. Peyton Watson and Towns traded misses before Harden sank a 3-pointer with 4:22 remaining.
Brunson answered with a bucket, but the Cavaliers scored the next six points and never led by fewer than five over the final 93 seconds. Watson iced the win by blocking a McBride layup to start a fastbreak, with Allen converting an old-fashioned 3-point play to extend Cleveland’s lead to 113-105 with 29.6 seconds left.
