Carmelo Anthony outplayed his friend and rival for a half. Then LeBron James took over in Madison Square Garden.
James scored 12 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter while Anthony totaled only four of his 26 points in the second half as the Cavaliers rallied to defeat the Knicks 90-84 Friday.
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Anthony's impressive first-half play drew praise, particularly for his 14-point first quarter. He was 8 for 11 from the field in the first half, including 4 for 5 from 3-point range.
. @carmeloanthony is playing like an MVP candidate.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 14, 2015
That's an encouraging sign for Knick fans, as the team's franchise player appears to be on his way back to playing at 100 percent after missing the second half of last season with nagging knee injuries.
But James has been doing this all season, and his dominance has carried the Cavs to an 8-1 record. Cleveland even weathered a rough game from Kevin Love, who finished with seven points on 2-for-10 shooting, while still playing without its top two guards, Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert.