Final Dime: Cavaliers 113, Knicks 106

LeBron James went off for 47 points in Saturday's win over New York. David Liam Kyle NBAE/Getty Images

That was the case once again, as the Wine and Gold rung up 74 first-half points, built up a 24-point lead and still wound up holding off New York’s late-game barrage, winning their 11th straight game – 113-106 – on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

LeBron James broke the Cavaliers’ individual record with 35 first-half points – going 13-for-28 before intermission as Cleveland took a 20-point lead, 74-54, heading into the locker room.

James deferred to his teammates in the third quarter, going scoreless until the final minute of the period. The Knicks cut six points off Cleveland’s lead in the third and a red-hot Nate Robinson – who scored 23 second-half points – led a furious New York rally in the fourth. When rookie Jordan Hill hit a short jumper with just over two minutes to play, the Knicks cut Cleveland’s edge to just three.

But LeBron canned back-to-back 20-footers to give the Wine and Gold just enough breathing room to capture their league-leading 41st win.

“Going through something like this, we got to the point where it was two or three points and we buckled down and got some stops,” said Coach Mike Brown. “We have the best closer in the game in LeBron, so we knew we’d give ourselves a chance to score with him on the floor.”

James finished 17-of-31 overall, going 6-for-12 from beyond the arc and 7-for-7 from the stripe for 47 points – one off his Quicken Loans Arena high. LeBron led the Cavaliers with eight boards, eight assists and five steals.

“I was able to shoot the ball extremely well, but still get my teammates involved,” said James. “When I’m on fire, I can go for a lot of points but getting my teammates involved is good for us in the long run. I can’t do it by myself and I’ve always been that way, ever since I was a little kid.”

Both teams shot well on Saturday night – the Cavaliers at 55 percent, New York at 53. Cleveland was an even 50 percent from beyond the arc and went 82 percent from the line.

Shaquille O’Neal continued his mid-season tear, going 8-for-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from the line for 19 points to go with three blocked shots. Anthony Parker followed up with 11 points and J.J. Hickson rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures with 10.

The Cavaliers will get Super Bowl Sunday off before getting back in the gym to tune up for the Nets, who roll into town on Tuesday night.

2. Even with Saturday night’s seven-point win over New York, the Cavaliers margin of victory over the last five games is still 16.5 points per contest.

3. LeBron tied his own Quicken Loans Arena for points in a quarter, matching his uniform with 23. He was 8-for-11 in the period, including 4-of-5 from long-distance. At one point in the first half, James scored 24 straight points for the Cavaliers.

4. Saturday’s win was the Cavaliers’ seventh straight over the Knicks; fifth straight over New York at The Q.

5. The Cavaliers finished two points shy of the Quicken Loans Arena mark for points in a half with 74. As a team, the Wine and Gold shot 66 percent from the floor and took ten free throws, canning eight. Along with LeBron’s 23, the Diesel added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

6. LeBron has taken some pages out of the record book, but he went way back with his 35-point first half – a mark that’s stood for almost four decades of Cavaliers hoops. The record of 34 was held by Walt Wesley, who set the mark in the first year of the Cavs existence, on February 19, 1971.

7. The Cavaliers are in the midst of their longest homestand since 1994-95 when they hosted eight consecutive outings. With the win, Cleveland is now 20-1 over their last 21 home games and improved to 149-40 at The Q over last two years.

8. On Saturday night, the Cavaliers Better Halves teamed up with the Domestic Violence Center for RESPECT Night at The Q. Fans and several coaches wore purple as a show of support for National Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Week.

9. The Diesel continues to roll on. Shaq has now notched double-figures in 21 of his last 22 outings and in each of his last 10 games. In that span, O’Neal is averaging 16.6 points on 70-107 (.654) shooting, with 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest.

10. Miami’s Dorrell Wright’s three-pointer at the 10:42 mark of the second quarter on Thursday night gave the Heat a two-point lead at 31-29. Over the past four games, that is the only lead any opponent has had. It lasted 33 seconds.