Cavs Maul Knicks, Win Second Straight

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The Wine & Gold came into the weekend having not won a game on the road. Two games into their recent trip, they haven’t trailed for a single second.

John Beilein’s young Cavaliers went wire-to-wire in their second straight contest while continuing their absolute mastery of the Knicks with a lopsided 108-87 victory on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

Cleveland led by a dozen points after one quarter and by 18 at the break – extending their advantage to as much as 30 midway through the third quarter before New York used a 21-4 run late in the period to make things slightly more respectable.

Collin Sexton went off for a career-high 31 points – going 10-of-16 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 6-of-8 from the stripe to go with three assists and a steal.

Kevin Love didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but still chipped in with 17 points, eight boards and a pair of assists. Jordan Clarkson added 17 points of his own off the bench – going 6-of-14 from the floor to go with three boards and a pair of steals.

Tristan Thompson finished with nine points and nine boards. Larry Nance Jr. posted similar numbers – netting nine points, nine boards and a game-high four steals in 26 minutes off the bench.

Julius Randle was the only Knick starter in double-figures – finishing with 20 points and a game-high 16 boards in the loss.

Jordan Clarkson shows off his hops with a big-time dunk in the first half of Sunday's wire-to-wire victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Over the past couple seasons, the start of the third quarter has been a bugaboo for the Wine & Gold. But whatever Coach Beilein said in the halftime locker room on Sunday night made sure that wouldn’t be the case in New York.

The Cavaliers led by 18 at intermission and didn’t take their foot off the gas to start the third quarter – coming out on an 18-6 run – jumping out to a 30-point lead before the Knicks knew what hit them.

New York cut Cleveland’s lead to 13 late in the quarter, but Jordan Clarkson closed the third with a jumper to stem the tide, with the Cavaliers outscoring the Knicks, 30-24, over the final period.

.842, 11 … Cavaliers’ winning percentage over the Knicks since the start of the 2014-15 season – (16-3) – and total consecutive wins at Madison Square Garden.

Cleveland’s 11 straight victories at the World’s Most Famous Arena is the longest win streak ever posted by a visitor at The Garden.

Coach John Beilein, on Collin Sexton’s defensive development …

"I love the way he attacks the basket, but I think what’s being underrated here is his growth from last year to this year on his defense. You can see he’ll still make a mistake every now and then – everybody does – but for the most part, he’s an athlete who should become a very good defender."

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and 87.7 La Mega's Rafa Hernandez-Brito.

Cleveland wraps up its longest trip of the season, looking for the three-game sweep when they roll into the City of Brotherly Love for a Tuesday night matchup against Tobias Harris and the Sixers.

The Cavaliers then come home for a pair – welcoming the Heat to town on Thursday evening (6 p.m. ET) and taking on the Sixers in a Sunday afternoon affair.