The New York Knicks are starting to look like they did during their run to the NBA championship last season.
And just like last season, New York might get to torment the Cleveland Cavaliers multiple times in the span of less than a week.
The Knicks will look to stay hot on Wednesday night when they close their first back-to-back set of home games this season by hosting the Cavaliers.
The Knicks opened their quick homestand by cruising to a 117-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers played most recently on Monday, when they fell 124-112 to the host Charlotte Hornets.
The win Tuesday was the most lopsided of the season for New York, which has won four games in a row and six of seven following an 0-3 start. The current surge includes a 109-97 win over the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Saturday.
The Knicks’ average margin of victory in their wins this season is 17.8 points per game.
New York rolled to a four-game sweep of the Cavaliers last May in the Eastern Conference finals, during which the Knicks won each game by at least 11 points and closed the series with a 130-93 rout.
Overall in the playoffs, the Knicks allowed less than 100 points nine times in 19 games. They have surrendered less than 100 points in five of their past seven contests, including a 98-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 30.
“We started off slow and now we’re picking it up,” said New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who has 10 double-doubles in as many games this season. “At the end of the day, the offense will catch up. The defense is something you got to establish. We’re doing a great job of that right now.”
The Cavaliers’ trip to the conference finals last season marked their deepest foray into the playoffs since LeBron James exited for the second time following the 2017-18 season. This season, the team has struggled to pick up its game against top competition in November.
Cleveland is 1-4 this month, with two losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On Monday, the undermanned Hornets — who were without starters Moussa Diabate (right quad), Kon Knueppel (hamstring strain) and Brandon Miller (hip strain) — buried the Cavaliers by outscoring them 78-52 over the middle two quarters.
The Cavaliers allowed the Hornets to shoot 50% from 3-point range (23 of 46) and were outrebounded 49-32. Cleveland reserves Thomas Bryant, Mario Hezonja and Meleek Thomas combined to score 39 points — just 17 fewer than starters Jarrett Allen, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Peyton Watson.
“The difference in energy level was stark — (the Hornets) were faster than us, quicker to the ball, quicker to rebounds obviously, more physical,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Sometimes in the NBA you get humbled by it. You take it on the chin. Obviously we’ve got a tough game coming up in New York, so it’s always how you respond in this league. How do we respond to this?”
–Field Level Media
