Cavs Snap Skid on Drummond's Big Night

When Andre Drummond has a night like he did on Friday – shorthanded or not, the Cavaliers are going to be tough to beat.

The two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion was dominant from the opening tip – leading both squads with a season-high 33 points to go with 23 rebounds – three more than New York’s combined starting lineup – as Cleveland rallied for the 106-103 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, snapping a three-game skid while sending the Knicks to their fifth straight loss.

Friday’s contest was tied at 80-apiece heading into the fourth quarter. New York jumped ahead early in the final period, but Cleveland took back the lead and never looked back – staving off the Knicks late rally in the closing seconds, especially a big steal by – who else? – Drummond with 19.5 seconds to play.

On the night, Drummond – the league’s leading rebounder at 15.1rpg – went 10-of-18 from the field and 13-of-19 from the stripe, adding three assists, two steals and a pair of blocks.

Just a day earlier, the Cavaliers were part of a three-team blockbuster trade that brought center Jarrett Allen and swingman Taurean Prince to Cleveland – and both players, along with several of the team’s walking wounded – watched the win from the sidelines.

Cedi Osman also had his best offensive output of the season – finishing with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-9 from long-range, adding five assists, three boards and a pair of steals.

Larry Nance Jr. had his usual all-around solid game – chipping in with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go with nine rebounds, five dimes, two steals and a blocked shot.

Cleveland’s makeshift starting backcourt of Isaac Okoro and Damyean Dotson each netted 13 points in the win. Both finished with four assists and 4-of-4 from the line – with Okoro canning the final two free throws of the game to help seal the deal.

The Knicks got 28 points from their leading scorer, Julius Randle – who dropped a triple-double on Cleveland in the first meeting of the season – and 23 more from Immanuel Quickley off the bench.

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Cedi Osman gets to the free throw line and, through traffic, throws an ally-oop pass to Andre Drummond, who finishes with a two-handed slam.

The Cavaliers and Knicks had an odd third quarter.

With 8:53 left in the period, Julius Randle’s three-pointer put the Knicks up three, 64-61. From there, the Wine & Gold would go on a furious 19-4 run, taking a 12-point lead on Larry Nance Jr.’s dunk with 3:15 remaining.

The Knicks immediately answered with a 16-0 run of their own – tying the game at 80-apiece after three quarters and taking a four-point edge early in the fourth.

But Isaac Okoro got the Cavs back to within a point with a three-pointer two minutes into the period, and Andre Drummond’s short jumper gave Cleveland back the lead. The Wine & Gold didn’t trail again the rest of the night.

By the Numbers – 20, 14 … points and rebounds Andre Drummond piled up in the first half of Friday night’s win over the Knicks – going 6-of-12 from the floor and 8-of-11 from the stripe, grabbing half of his 14 boards off the offensive glass.

No Cavalier in the past 20 years has registered a statistical first or second half with those numbers and Drummond has never posted a stat line like that previously in his career.

Andre Drummond, on his personal game plan on Friday night …

"Just playing with force. J.B. and I talk about it all the time – playing with force when I have the ball. Taking it strong to the rim and making guys uncomfortable, making them foul me. Today was a good testament to that."

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

Following their three-game homestand that wrapped up on Friday night, the Cavaliers were set to fly to Washington for a back-to-back set against the Wizards on Sunday and Monday afternoons. But contact tracing left the Wizards without enough required players and both games were subsequently postponed.

With the dual postponements, that gives the Cavaliers until next Wednesday before they take the floor again – effectively extending their homestand when they welcome Kevin Durant, James Harden, (possibly) Kyrie Irving and the new-look Nets to town on Wednesday and Friday.

One week from Sunday, the Cavs travel to Boston for an afternoon affair before LeBron James and the World Champion Lakers roll into Cleveland the following night.