Knicks take 2-0 Eastern lead

The New York Knicks took a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 109-93 win in Game 2 on Thursday night, after opening the series with an overtime comeback two days earlier. New York erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1 on May 19, then outscored Cleveland 14-3 in overtime to win 115-104, according to NBA.com and CBS Sports. Game 2 followed a different script, with the Knicks breaking open a tie game in the third quarter and controlling the rest of the night. The series now shifts to Cleveland with the Cavaliers needing a response at home. ### How did New York grab control of Game 2? The Knicks turned a 53-53 tie into separation with an 18-0 run in the third quarter, according to Fox Sports play-by-play and NBA playoff coverage. That burst pushed New York to a 71-56 lead and gave the Knicks the cushion they had lacked in the opener. Josh Hart finished with a career playoff-high 26 points, according to Sporting News and NBA.com’s playoff coverage. Jalen Brunson added a playoff career-high 14 assists, which NBA.com said was the most by a Knicks player in a playoff game since 1998. ### Why does the 2-0 lead stand out? New York has now won the first two games of the series in different ways. On May 19 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks trailed by 22 points with less than eight minutes left in regulation before forcing overtime and closing with a 14-3 run, CBS Sports reported. That sequence gave the series an early swing. Cleveland had controlled most of Game 1 before New York’s late surge, and the Cavaliers then lost the second game after the third-quarter collapse. ### What has gone wrong for Cleveland so far? Cleveland let two very different games get away. In Game 1, the Cavaliers failed to close out a large late lead. In Game 2, they were level at halftime pace and tied at 53 before New York’s run turned the game. The 93 points Cleveland scored in Game 2 were well below the 104 it managed in the overtime loss in Game 1. Max Strus fouled out late in Game 2, according to Fox Sports’ box score and play-by-play page, as the Cavaliers’ options narrowed in the fourth quarter. ### Who has set the tone for the Knicks? Jalen Brunson has remained at the center of New York’s offense even when the scoring load shifted. CBS Sports said Brunson scored 15 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 as the Knicks rallied from 22 down. Hart was the standout scorer in Game 2, while Brunson’s 14 assists showed New York could win without leaning on one late scoring binge. NBA.com’s playoff coverage highlighted Hart as the “Player of the Night” after the second win. ### What comes next in the series? Game 3 will be played in Cleveland, with the Cavaliers trying to avoid a 3-0 deficit against a Knicks team that has carried momentum out of New York. NBA.com’s 2026 playoff schedule says the Eastern Conference finals continue with the series shifting venues after the first two games at Madison Square Garden. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 3 on ABC, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule and NBA.com. The Knicks are halfway to that round, while Cleveland now heads home needing a win in Game 3 to keep the series from slipping further away.