Dribbles: James Harden, Cavs answer criticism with best effort yet

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 115-107 road win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

1. Now that looked like the Cavs this team is supposed to be. Tough, connected and capable of answering when things got difficult. Against the defending champions. In their building. Two nights after a performance that had everyone wondering what was wrong.

2. Give the Cavs credit. They deserved the criticism after Charlotte. They deserve the praise after this one. It was their most complete effort of the season, with contributions that went well beyond the leading scorers.

3. Start with James Harden, though. Whatever you thought of his recent performances, he was fantastic Wednesday. He finished with a season-high 32 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field, 5-of-7 on threes and 9-of-11 at the line. The Cavs needed their veteran guard to deliver. He did.

4. Harden almost certainly knew what people had been saying. It would have been difficult to avoid. He was bad against the Hornets, and his season averages entering Wednesday weren’t helping his case. But there’s no better response than playing like this against a team that has repeatedly given the Cavs trouble.

5. His biggest shot came with 4:21 remaining, a 3-pointer that broke a 101-all tie. Those are the possessions that can make everyone a little nervous against the Knicks. Harden stepped into the moment and gave the Cavs the lead.

6. That was a theme all night. The Knicks would make a run, the crowd would get loud, and the Cavs would find an answer. It wasn’t always pretty. Winning on the road against a good team rarely is. But they kept making enough plays to stay in charge.

7. Donovan Mitchell supplied 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists. A productive, necessary night alongside Harden. The Cavs don’t need one guard to do everything while the other tries to figure out where he fits. Both helped them win this one.

8. Then there was Jarrett Allen. Eleven points and 14 rebounds tell some of the story. The deflections, the effort to keep possessions alive and the work around the basket tell the rest. He wasn’t the headline, but he was important.

9. Allen also scored four straight Cavs points late, finishing that stretch with a powerful dunk that pushed the lead to 110-103. Before that, Evan Mobley had scored with the Cavs up one. Those were big baskets from the big men when the game was still very much available to either team.

10. Peyton Watson supplied another crucial play with his transition block in the final minute. That’s exactly the type of moment when his length and athleticism need to matter. Get back, challenge the shot, help finish the job.

11. The young guards did their part, too. Tyrese Proctor scored 15 points and Meleek Thomas added 14 off the bench. That’s 29 points from two players who gave the Cavs valuable support on a night when the starters had plenty to handle.

12. Jalen Brunson still scored 27. Karl-Anthony Towns still finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. The Knicks have players who are going to make things difficult. The Cavs didn’t need to eliminate every problem. They needed to keep responding instead of allowing one bad stretch to become the rest of the game.

13. Kenny Atkinson had indicated before tipoff that he wanted better execution of the team’s habits and strengths, rather than immediate changes to the lineup. On this night, his players backed that approach. The urgency was there early and the composure was there late.

14. This doesn’t mean every concern has disappeared. The Cavs are 6-6, and the inconsistency has been real. But it would be equally silly to spend days hammering them for Charlotte and then shrug at a win like this.

15. They have this ability. We’ve seen it. When the stars produce and everyone else contributes to the work, the Cavs can go places. The challenge is getting this level of engagement more often, without needing an embarrassing loss to bring it out.

16. Next comes Friday’s NBA Cup game at Miami, an 8 p.m. tipoff to finish the trip. The Cavs have given themselves a chance to come home with two wins after a miserable beginning. Wednesday was a strong response. Now it’d be nice to give it some company.