Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks player grades

Here are the player grades from the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-109 win over the New York Knicks.

Koby Altman: A+

The biggest signing of the season came mid-game with the news that the Cavs have added Kendrick Perkins. There is nothing that brings me more joy than a scowling Perkins on the bench.

LeBron James: A

Enes Kanter may have ducked LeBron, but that didn’t stop him from putting up another electric performance at The Garden. LeBron was in complete control all game and the catalyst for the team’s success.

Kevin Love: A

Not a strong performance on the glass for Love, but with 13 attempts from behind the arc — and six makes — Love created tons of driving lanes for the rest of the team. The skeleton crew put out by the Knicks simply didn’t have anybody that could match up with Love on the defensive end.

Jordan Clarkson: B+

When Clarkson has his shot going and room to operate, he adds another gear to an already potent offense for the Cavs.

J.R. Smith: B

With Kyle Korver struggling with his shot, Smith came in with a vintage performance off the bench and was rewarded with 32 minutes. While there’s been talk of cutting him out of the rotation in the playoffs, his ability to get hot will undoubtedly lead to him getting opportunities at times.

Larry Nance Jr.: B

It’s nice to see Nance have bounce back in his game and get rewarded with minutes. The Sixers going with Ben Simmons and four shooters hurt the Cavs ability to play their bigs on Friday, but if Nance can sustain what he showed tonight and earlier this season, it’ll be tough to keep him off the floor.

Jeff Green: B-

I don’t know why Jeff Green is working with the starters, but he is. It wasn’t his best game of the season, but he still brought a solid energy to the game.

Tristan Thompson: B-

Like Nance, Thompson showed some bounce that has been missing from his game. While the second half wasn’t as strong, he and Nance actually put in some quality minutes on both ends in the first half.

George Hill: C+

It was great to see Hill back in the lineup, even though it was a quiet game. He didn’t force things, helped the team get into their sets and played solid defense. I expect him to get more run than others on Wednesday, just to help him get back into game shape.

Kyle Korver: C

Korver didn’t hit shots, but he did a good job on the glass and found teammates. While it would be nice to see him hit a few more shots, he’s a savvy veteran that usually finds ways to be productive.

Jose Calderon: C-

Calderon played 20 minutes, but you’d be forgiven for not noticing him out there. Like Hill and Korver, he couldn’t find his jumper, but failed to really make any glaring errors.