The New York Knicks looked to improve on their losing record from home on Tuesday night. They hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers in an Eastern Conference showdown.
The Knicks, who recently dropped out of our NBA power rankings for the league's top ten, made a small case for re-entry. They won the game against Cleveland in a contest that was close as time expired.
The Knicks put up a single-possession margin of victory in the game, winning by 2 points. The final score was Cleveland 103, and New York 105 as the Cavaliers continued to play poorly on the road this season. The chart below shows that this Cleveland team is drastically more comfortable while playing at home relative to visiting.
Cleveland Cavaliers: #6 Ranked Team at a Glance
- Overall record: 29-20
- Home record: 20-5
- Away record: 9-15
- Winning/losing streak: L2
- Last ten games: 4-6
Cavaliers @ Knicks Tuesday: Julius Randle scores 36
With the loss, the Cavaliers are now 29-20 overall on the season. Meanwhile, the Knicks improved to 26-23 with the 2-point victory. The top scorer in the game was Julius Randle. He had an impressive 36 points in the contest and 13 rebounds for a double-double.
Cleveland's road woes are tough to ignore. They currently sit 5th in the Eastern Conference standings. This is a team that needs to get into the top 4 in the conference over the next couple of months to close out the regular season. If they finish 5th or 6th, then they would be looking at a road series against a talented team right in the first round.
Without a proven ability to win tough road games, the writing is on the wall with this team. They are not one of the contenders in the NBA. Besides their road problems, the chart below shows that they are a team on the slide over the last five weeks. Cleveland's next game is Thursday at Houston, giving the Cavs a chance to turn things around against one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Cleveland: Recent Form Alert
- Cleveland was 22-11 (December 22nd, 2022)
- Following Tuesday's game, they are 29-20
- The Cavaliers have gone 7-9 since December 22nd, 2022
Further reading: NBA Power Rankings
