A great outing by Martin was enough to offset a superior New York team and key a 99-86 upset by Cleveland. There's no question that New York is the better team, and even after today's loss they remain ranked ahead of Cleveland. But that wasn't important today, when Martin took over and carried his team to a win. "What a gift," grinned Cleveland coach Bob. "The rest of the team got outplayed, but Martin stepped up and got us the win. No complaints, but we'd be surprised to get another win over New York."

Said losing coach Bob, "What a tough way to lose. It seemed like we had everything under control today. We pretty much did what we wanted, except for Martin."

Cleveland was led by Martin (26 points, 7 boards, 0 assists, a block), Stancil (7 points, 14 boards, 2 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Jackson (7 points, 2 steals). New York was led by Powell (8 points, 14 boards, 1 assists, a steal, a block), Howie (14 points, 2 steals, a block), Velazquez (17 points).

After today's victory, Cleveland are now 9-9. They remain at #3 in the Central and hold at #9 overall in the Eastern Conference. New York are now 15-4 and 6-4 at home with the defeat. They remain at #1 in the Atlantic and stay at #2 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score Cleveland roster New York roster