CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Everything with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season is about a team-first committee approach.

That's how they've been able to survive Kevin Love's absence, losing their most important player four games into the new season. It's how they were able to pull off an improbable 113-106 win against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, just days after Tristan Thompson was lost because of a sprained foot and Cleveland was forced to use a pair of Two-Way players in its primary rotation.

Gone are the days of centering the franchise on one guy -- even if those days were memorable, successful and glorious.

The Cavs don't have that luxury anymore. No one player can fill in the gaps when an injury pops up.

On Wednesday, they got just enough of a boost, with the guards picking up the scoring slack and Rodney Hood delivering the dagger in the final seconds.

The Knicks erased one-time 22-point Cavs lead, reclaiming the edge with 32.5 seconds after rookie Kevin Knox threw down a dunk in transition to give New York a one-point advantage.

With the Cavs teetering, head coach Larry Drew called the final timeout and diagrammed a play for Hood. The Cavs don't have a designated closer. They've been using different players each night. Against New York, it was Hood's turn.

He used a Larry Nance Jr. screen, got back to his dominant left hand and buried a runner in the lane to put the Cavs back in front.

Then Cedi Osman hit a pair of free throws and Matthew Dellavedova thwarted one last out-of-bounds play from the Knicks, taking away the first two options as Nance stole the ball away.

Hood finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 from the field.

Jordan Clarkson added a season-high 28 points on 12-of-21 from the field. Rookie Collin Sexton fizzled late, but still tallied 19 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 18 games. The reserves combined for 64 points.

Dellavedova, still a fan favorite, poured in a season-best 15 points off the bench, getting showered with MVP chants as he toed the free-throw line late.

"Feels great to be back out there. Big rims here," he said with a smile. "It was great to see a few go in early. I really appreciate the support of everybody and I love the fans here and I appreciate everything they do. Just try to give back to them playing hard and doing what I can."

Dellavedova made his return official at the 4:14 mark of the first quarter, replacing Sexton and receiving his first boisterous ovation. Moments later, he canned a 3-pointer that caused the crowd to erupt. He hit two more in the first half, burying his first three shot attempts in his Cleveland return.

Prior to the game, Drew said he would turn to Dellavedova to handle more responsibility, especially in pressure moments. He's one of the few that's been in those situations. His feisty defense and infectious energy brought back memories of Cleveland's championship runs when Dellavedova turned into a folk hero.

On Wednesday night, it felt like Dellavedova never left. He made his usual impact, with the Cavs outscoring the Knicks by 17 points in 22 minutes with him on the floor.

"How do you describe the impact Delly made? I have no idea," Nance said. "He was everywhere, it seems. It was not even the stuff that he did on the court so much. Obviously he played really well, shot 3s, hit big free throws, played Delly defense. But the energy of the crowd provided while he was on the court making those plays and being involved was a major boost to us."

Another chapter in his growing legend.

Spot start

With Thompson sidelined in a walking boot, Drew opted to go with Channing Frye, giving the veteran his first start of the season.

Hours before the game, the coaching staff was still deciding between Frye, Nance and Ante Zizic. It was a tough matchup against New York's bulky frontline of Enes Kanter and Noah Vonleh and Drew felt Nance would have had a tough time matching up physically.

Frye scored zero points in 15 unproductive minutes.

Nance shined off the bench, filling the box score with three points, seven assists, three steals, three blocks and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes.

Up next

The Cavs will continue their three-game homestand when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.