Ian Begley, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Knicks 95, Cavs 90: Spoiling LeBron's party

CLEVELAND -- Hours before tipoff, Thursday's Knicks-Cavs game was being billed as one of the biggest moments in the history of Cleveland sports. But Carmelo Anthony & Co. ruined all that.

The Knicks pulled the biggest stunner of this young NBA season by beating LeBron James and the Cavs 95-90 in King James' first game back in Cleveland in four seasons.

Anthony and his teammates forced James to miss 10 of 15 shots, and Melo delivered a dagger late in the fourth quarter, hitting a baseline jumper over James with 27 seconds to play to seal the win at Quicken Loans Arena.

Stat of the night: James didn't get off to a strong start in his second act with the Cavs. He had 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting and turned the ball over eight times.

The enormity of his homecoming might have impacted James, but the Knicks certainly played a role. A combination of Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumper and rookie Travis Wear helped limit James all night.

The Knicks certainly aren't used to seeing this kind of performance out of LeBron. The four-time league MVP averaged 32.8 points on 63.8 percent shooting in four games against New York last season, and has been on the winning side in 21 of his past 27 matchups.

Stat of the night II: The Knicks finished with 30 assists on 37 made field goals. Their season-high last year was 29. The ball movement in the triangle was strong, and the scoring was balanced.

Anthony had a game-high 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting with six assists. Iman Shumpert and Jason Smith had 12 apiece and J.R. Smith had 11, including a key runner late in the fourth that helped the Knicks keep their lead. Smith also had seven assists.

For one night at least, the Knicks weren't hurt by the loss of point guard Jose Calderon, who is out for at least two weeks with a calf strain. In his absence, Shane Larkin, Pablo Prigioni and Shumpert handled the lead guard duties and combined for nine assists.

Adjustment of the night: Derek Fisher started the game with Samuel Dalembert, a traditional center, on the floor. But he quickly moved away from that strategy, benching Dalembert in favor of more minutes for Stoudemire, Jason Smith, Quincy Acy and Wear. The smaller lineup helped slow James down, allowed the Knicks to rebound from an early 11-point deficit and helped Fisher earn his first win as an NBA coach.

Celebrity sighting of the night: There were plenty in Cleveland tonight. Usher Raymond sung the national anthem. He then sat next to Justin Bieber and Michael Strahan. The crowd greeted Bieber with intense boos. Geraldo Rivera also got booed by the Cavs fans.

LeBron-related gimmick of the night: LeBron's chalk toss was back. The fans joined him in the act:

Tweet of the night: From our buddy Seth Rosenthal, who tweeted the following while Jason Smith was knocking down jump shots in the third quarter:

Question: What do you make of the Knicks following this win?

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