Carmelo Anthony hits dagger to spoil LeBron James' homecoming
Carmelo Anthony hit a dagger baseline jumper to lift New York to a surprising 95-90 road victory over Cleveland and spoil LeBron James' homecoming.
With less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation and the Knicks leading 90-87, Pablo Prigioni set up Anthony on the left wing. New York's All-Star forward sized up James as he worked the clock, turning to face the basket before using an escape dribble toward the baseline. James shadowed Anthony, but was unable to contest a 15-foot fall-away jumper that rattled home with 25.9 seconds left.
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Knicks superfan Spike Lee was seated courtside at Quicken Loans Arena and offered a handshake as Anthony jogged back down the court.
Anthony finished with a game-high 25 points (on 9-of-17 shooting) and six assists in 34 minutes. Iman Shumpert and Jason Smith added 12 points each in the win for New York.
James struggled in his Cleveland debut, posting 17 points (on 5-of-15 shooting), five rebounds, four assists and a game-high eight turnovers. Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 22 points (on 8-of-15 shooting), seven assists and five rebounds in a losing effort.
New York improved to 1-1 with the victory. Cleveland is now 0-1.
