Slow Start Sends Wine & Gold to First Loss

The Cavaliers were never out of Tuesday night’s matchup against the Knicks. But it never really felt like they were in it either.

The Wine & Gold got off to a terrible start – scoring just 15 points in the first quarter, shooting 24 percent and missing all 10 three-point attempts – and spent the rest of the night digging their way out of it. They never did, and the Knicks held on to hand Cleveland its first loss of the season, a 95-86 defeat at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Cavaliers came into Tuesday’s meeting leading the league in assists, averaging 31.3 per contest. But the ball-movement wasn’t there against New York; Cleveland handed out 22 assists on 32 made baskets. On the evening, the Cavs shot just 36 percent from the floor and 22 percent from long-distance.

Collin Sexton led the Wine & Gold with 20 points, going 6-for-17 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the stripe, adding four assists and a pair of steals.

Andre Drummond tallied 11 of his 17 points before half, going 7-of-13 from the floor, adding a game-high 17 boards to go with three steals and an eye-popping six blocked shots, one short of his career-high.

Darius Garland added 17 points of his own, despite struggling from the floor, where he went 6-of-18. Garland led Cleveland with six assists to go with five boards and a pair of steals.

Larry Nance Jr. – starting in place of Kevin Love, who could be sidelined three to four weeks with a calf injury – had a solid all-around game, finishing with 10 points, six boards, three assists, three stelas and a pair of swats.

JaVale McGee led Cleveland’s reserves with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with nine boards, five of those off the offensive glass.

The Knicks were led by Julius Randle – who continued his scorching start with a man-sized triple-double on Tuesday – notching a game-high 28 points on 9-of-16 scoring, hitting all four three-pointers he attempted, to go with team-highs in rebounds (12) and assists (11).

Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.

Darius Garland hits Andre Drummond with a no-look, over-the-head pass in the paint that Drummond catches and dunks home with two hands.

If you’re looking for the turning point in any game, a good place to start is at close of each respective quarter. On Tuesday night, it was the final three minutes of the first half.

After digging themselves a two-touchdown deficit after an anemic first quarter, the Cavaliers spent the first eight-and-a-half minutes of the second trying to dig their way out. And they did exactly that – outscoring New York, 25-11, to start the period.

But after JaVale McGee’s tip-in tied the score at 40-apiece, the Knicks proceeded to close the first half on a 13-6 run, capped by Reggie Bullock’s 31-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to end the quarter.

The Cavs got to within a single point at the 8:45 mark of the third quarter, but would get no closer the rest of the way.

By the Numbers – 12 … consecutive games, dating back to last season, in which Collin Sexton has topped the 20-point plateau, including Tuesday night’s loss to the Knicks.

Over that dozen-game stretch, the Young Bull is averaging 27.4 points per on .553 shooting from the floor, including .471 from long-distance and .791 from the stripe.

Darius Garland, on what went right in Tuesday’s loss to New York …

"Our defense brought us back in the game. Our defensive was pretty good, made them turn the ball over 26 times. Our defense was there, we just couldn’t make shots."

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 89.1.

With Tuesday night’s loss the Knicks wrapping up the calendar year at home, the Wine & Gold now hit the road for the next six.

On New Year’s Eve afternoon, they head to Indiana for a 3 p.m. meeting with the Pacers, followed by a Saturday night showdown against Trae Young and the Hawks in Atlanta. The following week, the Cavs travel to a two-game set in Orlando on Monday and Wednesday, followed by a Thursday night meeting with the Grizz in Memphis before the roadie wraps up next Saturday night in Milwaukee.