Cavs start strong, rout Knicks

Basketball Betting Lines

03/01/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James scored 22 points, dished out seven assists, and pulled down seven rebounds, as the Cleveland Cavaliers continued their recent dominance over the New York Knicks with a 124-93 rout at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cavaliers have won eight in a row against the Knicks, who haven't won in the series since a 108-90 victory in New York on December 19, 2007. Cleveland has won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the clubs.

Antawn Jamison added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have won four in a row since a three-game skid. J.J. Hickson donated 17 points and nine rebounds. Delonte West and Anderson Varejao tallied 15 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench for Cleveland, which shot 56.7 percent from the field.

The news was not all good for the Cavs on Monday, as the team learned center Shaquille O'Neal is expected to be sidelined for the next eight weeks after undergoing surgery for an injured right thumb.

Bill Walker poured in a career-high 21 points off the bench for the Knicks, who are just 2-13 in their last 15 games. Al Harrington chipped in 18 points, while Danilo Gallinari ended with 17 points in defeat.

Tracy McGrady's long jumper within the first 30 seconds of the game proved to be New York's lone lead of the entire night. The Cavaliers ripped off the next nine points and were ahead 27-15 on an Anthony Parker layup with 4 1/2 minutes remaining. James' 14 points in the first period helped Cleveland take a 38-26 margin into the second.

Cleveland pulled away in the second to turn the tilt into a rout. The lead grew to 20, 61-41, on a West slam with 4 1/2 minutes to go. The Cavs closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a 74-48 lead into the locker room.

The Cavaliers made the game a laugher in the third, closing the frame out on a 10-2 spurt to make it a 101-59 game heading to the fourth.

Game Notes

The Cavaliers improved their NBA-best home record to 26-4...The Knicks dropped to 8-19 on the road this year...New York shot 40.9 percent from the field...Cleveland's largest lead of the game was 49. This was the Cavs' largest margin of victory of the season...McGrady was limited to six points and five assists.

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Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.