National Basketball Association
Cleveland 125, New York 118
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, February 28, 2019
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: #28 Kevin Scott, #31 Scott Wall, #54 Ray Acosta
Attendance: 17573

Jordan Clarkson hit the go-ahead free throws with 89 seconds left as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers rallied down the stretch and recorded a 125-118 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday.

Cleveland swept the season series and recorded its 10th straight win in New York by outscoring the Knicks 21-5 in the last 3:51.

Clarkson put Cleveland ahead for good at 116-115 after intercepting Dennis Smith Jr.'s pass and getting fouled by Allonzo Trier. Trier was also called for a clear path foul, and on the next possession Clarkson hit a left corner 3-pointer off a feed from rookie Collin Sexton with 1:20 left.

The Cavs' Kevin Love led all scorers with 26 points and hit six free throws in the final 25 seconds as Cleveland outscored New York 40-21 in the fourth.

Clarkson and Sexton added 22 apiece as the Cavaliers shot 51.2 percent. Cedi Osman contributed 21 for Cleveland, which had four players finish with 20 points for the first time since Feb. 6, 2017, at Washington.

Trier scored 22 points but the Knicks missed their last 11 shots and were unable to match a season high with their third straight win.

Smith and Noah Vonleh added 16 points each as New York shot 48.4 percent.

The Cavaliers held a 79-78 lead on two free throws by Sexton with 5:10 left in the third quarter, but the Knicks surged ahead with an 18-7 run and took a 97-85 lead into the fourth on a four-point play by Smith with 3.7 seconds left.

New York held a 113-104 lead on a jumper by Kevin Knox with 3:51 left but did not hit a basket the rest of the way.

The Knicks shot 62 percent and held a 31-27 lead through the first quarter after Clarkson's 3-pointer from beyond half court was deemed to be too late.

New York built a 40-31 lead on a 3-pointer by Henry Ellenson with 9:18 left in the second quarter but settled for a 59-57 halftime lead when Mitchell Robinson dunked with 28.9 seconds left.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   New York
Kevin Love 26 Scoring Allonzo Trier 22
Cedi Osman 5 Assists Dennis Smith Jr. 8
Kevin Love 8 Rebounds Noah Vonleh 10
Kevin Love 11 Free Throws Made Allonzo Trier 4
Marquese Chriss 1 Steals Damyean Dotson 2
Cedi Osman 2 Blocks Mitchell Robinson 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 125 51.2 14-34 29-36 24 40 3 5 13
New York 118 48.4 11-32 15-23 26 40 3 4 10
Upcoming Games
  • New York will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Knicks have a W/L % of .231 after a win and .204 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .214 after a win and .250 after a loss.