James and Jones power Cavs past Knicks

Jones drained 7-of-10 three-pointers for his season-high in points, while James hit 10-of-19 shots from the floor, including a number of big ones down the stretch for Cleveland, winners of three straight.

Nate Robinson had 19 points and Jamal Crawford scored 18 for the Knicks, who have lost three in a row and six of seven. Robinson and Crawford led a New York reserve squad that fell two points shy of its starters.

The Knicks made it a game after falling behind 81-67 when Jones drained a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Crawford spearheaded a 15-3 run by scoring seven points during the surge, which he capped with a basket with just over six minutes left.

Cleveland later extended to a 95-89 lead after James converted a three-point play with 2 1/2 minutes left, but Crawford again got the Knicks within a possession of the lead. This time he drained a three-pointer from near midcourt as time expired on the shot clock and then converted a breakaway dunk with just under two minutes to play, making it a 95-94 contest.

Larry Hughes, however, hit a long jumper on the Cavs’ next trip down the floor and Stephon Marbury missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with 1:09 left.

James converted two free throws with 34.6 seconds left for a 99-94 contest and Cleveland made it to the final buzzer without another scare.

Marbury ended with just two points, going 0-for-6 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He was peppered with boos from the MSG crowd after his missed three-pointer that would have tied the game.

Marbury’s starting backcourtmate, Steve Francis, had only three points on 1-of-4 shooting. He returned to the lineup after missing three games with an injured left ankle.

New York led 20-15 after one quarter but trailed 51-47 going into halftime. Cleveland continued to lead going into the fourth, extending to a 71-63 cushion.

Game Notes

Cleveland shot 12 more free throws than the Knicks, going 20-of-30 compared to New York’s 14-of-18. Even though the Knicks had a better percentage, the six points turned out to be the difference in the game...Channing Frye had a season-high 17 points and nine boards...Hughes ended with 14 points.