Best of NBA: Cavaliers complete incredible rally to beat Knicks

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NEW YORK -- LeBron James had 23 points and 12 assists, Kyle Korver scored 19 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to spark a huge comeback, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 104-101 on Monday night.

James also had a technical foul after a first-quarter altercation with Frank Ntilikina and Enes Kanter, which seemed to charge up the Knicks as they built what became a 23-point lead late in the third quarter.

But the Cavaliers made nine 3-pointers in the fourth after hitting just seven through three quarters, charging back for their eighth straight victory at Madison Square Garden.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Kanter added 20 points and 16 boards. But Kristaps Porzingis shot only 7 for 21 while scoring 20 points as the Knicks blew their chance to beat the Cavs for the second time this season.

New York led by 15 after three but the Cavs surrounded James with plenty of perimeter shooting and the Knicks couldn't contain them. Cleveland tied it on Channing Frye's 3 with 2:15 to go before James made it 100-97 with another 1:23 left.

The game was just two days after James, following a victory in Dallas, said Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. should be a Knick. The Knicks passed on Smith in the draft, taking Ntilikina one spot earlier at No. 8 (see full recap).

Curry-less Warriors surge to win over Magic
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant had 21 points, a season-high eight assists and seven rebounds, Shaun Livingston scored a season-best 16 points in place of the injured Stephen Curry, and the Golden State Warriors pulled away in the second half to beat the Orlando Magic 110-100 on Monday night for their seventh straight win.

Draymond Green had a season-high 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals as the Warriors completed an unbeaten four-game homestand.

Nikola Vucevic scored 20 points, Evan Fournier had 16 and Aaron Gordon added 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Magic's fourth defeat over six games.

Livingston also had six assists on a night they were without Curry as he nursed a bruised right thigh from where he took a knee Saturday night. Durant sat out with the same injury to his left leg last Wednesday against Minnesota.

Coach Steve Kerr called them similar injuries and is being cautious with two-time MVP Curry, who sat out on his bobblehead giveaway night and has only been receiving treatment on the leg without any on-court work.

"If it was a playoff game he would play, but he's pretty sore," Kerr said. "We've got two days before our next game so this gives us the chance to really get him healthy and right. ... It's a no-brainer to rest him" (see full recap).

Miller’s late threes rescue Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS -- Darius Miller hit four three pointers in the fourth quarter, when he scored 14 of his 21 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans survived a sloppy performance to beat struggling Atlanta 106-105 on Monday night.

DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 16 rebounds, and Anthony Davis added 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Pelicans, who've won five of six. E'Twaun Moore tied a career high with 24 points for New Orleans.

Kent Bazemore scored 22 points for the Hawks, who led by as many as 14 points before fading to lose their fourth straight.

Bazemore also missed a critical free throw with 37.1 seconds left. Atlanta still had a chance to take a late lead, but Dennis Schroder's errant pass toward Tyler Cavenaugh sailed out of bounds with 3.2 seconds to go.

Davis' late turnover -- New Orleans' 19th in the game -- gave Atlanta one last desperation shot with about a second left, but Bazemore was unable to get a clean look at his 3-point attempt over Jrue Holiday, and the shot fell short.

Atlanta took advantage of Pelicans mistakes to keep it close and was accurate from deep, hitting 17 of 36 from 3-point range. Cavanaugh, Luke Babbitt and Marco Belinelli each hit four 3s. Cavanaugh finished with 16 points, while Belinelli had 14 and Babbitt 12 (see full recap).

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