Harden hails ‘special’ Cavs after beating Knicks

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers emphatically got back to winning ways Tuesday, coasting to a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks as their recent star signing James Harden scored 20 points.

The Cavs took the lead barely a minute into the game with an Evan Mobley three-pointer, and never gave it up in a thoroughly comfortable night for the red-hot Ohio franchise.

Former National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Harden, who was brought in from the Los Angeles Clippers this month, has never won a championship despite being one of the most decorated players in the league.

That was a key factor in his move to the seemingly playoff-bound Cavs, where he has only suffered one loss across seven games, and “The Beard” excelled again, providing four assists against the Knicks.

“We’re working to build something special, and each game is an opportunity to get better,” Harden said. “Tonight was a good step for us.”

It was a return to form after their seven-game winning streak was snapped Sunday by the defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder.

Harden, 36, has given Cleveland another strong offensive threat alongside Donovan Mitchell, who led the scoring with 23 points.

The victory was underpinned by a powerful defensive performance, that saw the Knicks’ star man Jalen Brunson restricted to 20 points.

“Tonight, it was a team effort, and it’s been like that since I’ve been here. That’s one of the beauties about this team, any guy can get it going,” Harden added.

They drew level on 37 wins and 22 losses with the Knicks — third in the Eastern Conference — who were poor with their shooting accuracy, making just 11 points in a shocking third quarter.