• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cavs stun Knicks, Anthony fouls out

Feb 26, 2011 - 4:14 AM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Antawn Jamison scored 28 points, J.J. Hickson had 24 and the suddenly-tough Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a 115-109 victory over Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.

Anthony scored 27 points in his second game with the Knicks, but had just two in the fourth quarter before fouling out in the final minute.

The Cavs improved to 3-2 on the heels of their NBA-record 26-game losing streak, hanging on down the stretch as Chauncey Billups and Amare Stoudemire led an attempted Knicks comeback.

Hickson also collected a game-high 15 rebounds, while Ramon Sessions scored 22 points and Anthony Parker had 16 in the win. Jamison had 13 boards.

Stoudemire led New York with 31 points and 11 rebounds and Billups, also in his second game with the Knicks, scored 20 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.

New York had a three-game winning streak snapped and will remain on the road for tough tests against Miami and Orlando.

The Cavs have won 10 straight games against New York, most of them coming in the LeBron James era. They beat the Knicks in overtime on December 18 -- the win that preceded their 29-game losing streak.

"I don't know what it is about playing New York," said Cavs head coach Byron Scott, "but I like what I saw tonight."

Cleveland had a 12-point lead with eight minutes left, but the game was tight down the stretch.

Stoudemire took over during one stretch, hustling for offensive rebounds on consecutive trips down the court and scoring both times. He blocked Sessions at the other end and came down with the rebound, leading to Billups' lay-in to get the Knicks within 103-101.

Then, maybe the luckiest break of the game for Cleveland.

After scrambling for a ball that rolled past mid-court, Cleveland's Daniel Gibson heaved a 46-footer towards the basket to beat the shot clock. Officials ruled that the ball glanced the rim, the Cavs retained possession and Sessions scored on a layup for a four-point lead.

Still, Billups and Stoudemire kept the Knicks in it, scoring on back-to-back possessions.

But Gibson gave Cleveland its coup de grace: a three-pointer from the right side that made it 110-105 with 30.6 seconds left and brought a sellout crowd of 20,562 to its feet.

"We had great energy, from our players and our fans," said Scott. "We just got a lot of contributions from a lot of guys."

Anthony scored his only points of the fourth quarter on a tough drive in the lane, drawing a foul. But he missed the free throw with a chance to get New York within two points, then fouled out.

Sessions knocked down a free throw and three-point specialist Shawne Williams missed one from beyond the arc for New York, all but ending the game. Sessions made four more free throws to ice it, and Billups scored on a final-seconds layup for the final margin.

"We have to play harder and understand that we have to win these games. There's a learning curve and it's going to take us a little while," said Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni.

"They hit big shots, and we didn't stop them."

In addition to Anthony and Billups, the Knicks also received Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman and Shelden Williams from the Nuggets. They got swingman Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves in the same deal.

Only Balkman played against the Cavs, getting two rebounds in 7 1/2 minutes.

Game Notes

The Knicks led 30-28 after the first quarter and the game was tied 53-53 at halftime. Cleveland carried an 83-75 lead into the fourth...New York won Anthony's debut at Madison Square Garden, beating Milwaukee on Wednesday...The Cavs improved to 3-3 on an eight-game homestand that also includes visits from the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs.