LEBRON JAMES scored 25 points, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love also surpassed 20, and the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the New York Knicks 126-94 Wednesday night.

    It was the first meeting since James was angered when Phil Jackson referred to his friends and business partners as a “posse” last month in an ESPN interview. James refused to answer questions about the Knicks president, who watched the game from his usual seat a few rows back of center court.

    “I’m motivated for the love of the game, I’m motivated by the process, I’m motivated knowing that my kids are watching me tonight on national television,” James said. “So I don’t need much more.”

    The Cavs, who didn’t stay together in New York after James and some other players opted against staying in the team’s Donald Trump-branded hotel, won their second straight after a three-game skid.

    Irving led Cleveland with 28 points and Love scored 21, 16 in the first quarter, in Cleveland’s eighth straight victory over New York.

    “We’re going to go through skids, we’re not the perfect team,” Irving said. “But we also know what we have as a team when we collectively come together and it’s a beautiful thing.”

    Brandon Jennings scored 16 points for the Knicks, who had their four-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the third time in 10 games. He started for Derrick Rose, who missed his first game of the season with lower back pain.

    The Cavs made 22 3-pointers in 40 attempts.

    “They played unbelievable and made all those shots,” Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis said. “It’s really hard to stop a team like that.”

    James and Love outscored Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony 46-20.

    Tristan Thompson grabbed 20 rebounds for the Cavs. They played without guard J.R. Smith, who returned to Cleveland for additional testing after hyperextending his left knee Monday in Toronto.(SD-Agencies)