Harden's Season-High 32 Snaps the Knicks' Four-Game Streak as Mike Brown Fumes Over a 25-11 Free-Throw Gap

James Harden turned back the clock at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, scoring a season-high 32 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 115-107 and snapped New York's four-game winning streak. Harden was deadly from deep, hitting 5 of 7 three-pointers, and finished 9 of 14 from the floor and 9 of 11 at the foul line.

The loss dropped the Knicks to 6-5, while Cleveland climbed back to .500 at 6-6. For New York, it was a frustrating end to a hot stretch. The Knicks came in having won four straight and six of seven after an 0-3 start. Cleveland, meanwhile, had dropped two in a row, including a home loss to these same Knicks on Saturday, and had been beaten 124-112 by Charlotte on Monday.

The Cavaliers grabbed control early, winning the first quarter 33-23. Harden caught fire in the second quarter, going 4 for 4 with three 3-pointers for 13 points in the period, and Cleveland carried a 59-53 lead into halftime. The third quarter was dead even at 23 apiece, leaving the Cavs up 82-76 heading to the fourth.

Cleveland kept opening leads in the second half, and New York kept clawing back. The Cavaliers were ahead 95-85 with 8:25 to play before the Knicks ripped off a 14-4 run to tie it. With the score knotted at 101, Harden buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:21 left. After New York pulled back within one, Evan Mobley scored and Jarrett Allen added the next four points, including a dunk, to make it 110-103. The Knicks never got closer.

Donovan Mitchell added 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Allen owned the glass with 14 rebounds to go with 11 points. Cleveland's bench delivered as well, with Tyrese Proctor scoring 15 and Meleek Thomas adding 14, while Peyton Watson blocked four shots.

Jalen Brunson led New York with 27 points on 12-of-23 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Miles McBride gave the Knicks a lift off the bench with 19 points and five 3-pointers, OG Anunoby scored 14 and Landry Shamet chipped in 12. Mikal Bridges, though, managed just two points in about 17 minutes.

By several measures, the Knicks played well enough to win. They shot a better percentage than the Cavaliers, 49.4% to 47.1%, and piled up 33 assists to Cleveland's 23. But the Cavs won the rebounding battle 40-35, hit one more 3-pointer, 15 to 14, and committed two fewer turnovers.

The number that had the home bench steaming was at the foul line. Cleveland attempted 25 free throws and made 20. New York went a perfect 11 for 11, but that was all the trips it got. Brunson, the Knicks' leading scorer, did not attempt a single free throw.

Afterward, Knicks coach Mike Brown called out the officials, describing the free-throw discrepancy as "pretty alarming," according to the New York Post.

Here is my take. A coach standing up for his players is part of the job, and a 14-attempt gap on your home floor will get any coach's attention. But the box score also points to something the Knicks can fix on their own. New York launched 39 three-pointers, and its star guard never got to the stripe, while Harden alone shot 11 free throws and Mitchell added five. Whistles tend to follow the team that keeps putting its head down and going to the rim. The good news for New York is that it owns that part of the equation, and a team that just won six of seven knows how to respond to a setback without making excuses.

Elsewhere on Wednesday's 10-game slate, Boston edged Toronto 98-93, Franz Wagner poured in a league-high 38 points as Orlando beat Utah 123-106, Denver held off Memphis 123-118, Portland beat Oklahoma City 118-108 and Indiana beat Washington 114-101.

Cleveland, which the NBA's game summary credited to Harden's big night, heads to Miami for a Friday game. The Knicks, still a game over .500, will try to turn the page quickly and get back to the physical, unselfish basketball that powered their recent run.