The New York Knicks bring a four-game winning streak into a showdown with the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. ESPN Stats & Info has everything you need to know prior to Wednesday night's game.
LeBron James loves playing the Knicks
LeBron James always shows up for games against the Knicks and especially under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. James is on a personal five-game winning streak at the Garden that dates back to his time with the Miami Heat, which is tied for his longest winning streak at "the world's most famous arena."
James plays some of his best basketball at MSG. In his most recent appearance there, last March 26, he went off for a triple-double (27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) in a 14-point win. He's also dropped 50 points twice at the Garden, going for 50 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds in 2008 and 52 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds in 2009. He has nine career 30-point games at MSG, tied with Kobe Bryant for the second-most by a visiting player over the past 30 seasons (Michael Jordan had 14). James also has the third-highest PPG at MSG.
James brings a two-game triple-double streak against the Knicks into the game, the first such streak against the Knicks since Grant Hill in 1996. Oscar Robertson is the only player in NBA history with three straight triple-doubles against the Knicks (1963-64 and 1964-65), notes the Elias Sports Bureau.
This is James' fourth game against one of his "Banana Boat Buddies (Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade)" this season. The Cavs are 1-2 in those games, the win coming against Anthony's Knicks on October 25.
Matchup notes
James and Anthony faced each other 27 times with James holding a slight edge with 15 wins.
Wednesday is a matchup of two of the league's top scoring starting frontcourts. The Cavs (51.0 PPG) rank fourth, and the Knicks (47.8 PPG) rank fifth.
This game will feature four of the league's top catch & shoot players. That includes three who average more than two 3-pointers per game off catch & shoots: Kevin Love (2.4, tied for second in NBA), Channing Frye (2.3, T-4th in NBA) and Kristaps Porzingis (2.1, T-8th in NBA).
The Cavaliers have three former Knicks on their roster: Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Frye. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, only the Los Angeles Lakers have as many former Knicks on their roster (Jose Calderon, Timofey Mozgov and Metta World Peace).
Cavaliers notes
Cleveland snapped its season-high three-game losing streak with a win on Monday against the Toronto Raptors but still was plagued by defensive issues. The Cavaliers allowed 112 points. They have a 114.3 defensive efficiency since November 29, 28th in the league over that time.
The Cavs are 2-0 this season when playing a team on the second half of a back-to-back (as the Knicks are, after winning on Tuesday night at Miami) after they have a day of rest.
Kyrie Irving is averaging a career-high 24.4 points per game, while James is averaging 23.9. This would be the first time in James’ career that he didn’t lead his team in scoring.
Love has pulled down at least 10 boards in eight straight games against the Knicks. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, that's the longest streak of double-digit rebound games since Nikola Vucevic had a 10-game streak from 2012 to 2015. Love's 12.7 RPG against New York is second-highest among active NBA players, behind Andre Drummond (13.3).
Knicks notes
Anthony is 48 points from passing Earl Monroe for fourth-most points scored at MSG, notes the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Knicks are 0-4 on the second end of back-to-backs this season. Only the Philadelphia 76ers have more losses without a win in their second consecutive game (0-5).
New York ranks third in the NBA in second-chance points per game this season (15.4) but ranks 27th in fast-break points per game (9.6).
Porzingis has taken a big step forward this season after his strong rookie campaign. On defense, opponents are shooting 41.2 percent at the rim with him guarding them, which is the third-best mark in the league behind Joel Embiid (40.8) and Hassan Whiteside (41.0). Porzingis' increase of 6.3 points per game from last season is second among all second-year players behind Sam Dekker (6.5 PPG increase). Finally, Porzingis' scoring and rebounding numbers are second best among second-year players.
Derrick Rose is averaging 8.1 PPG on drives this season, which is good for fifth in the NBA. Prior to leaving Tuesday's game with back spasms and only scoring 10 points, Rose had back-to-back 20-point games for his first time as a Knick. He has five 20-point games this season.