Knicks take 3-0 series lead with 121-108 Game 3 rout of Cavaliers

The New York Knicks are one win from the NBA Finals after a 121-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 on Saturday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, and New York pushed its lead in the Eastern Conference finals to 3-0. The result extended the Knicks’ playoff winning streak to 10 games. No team in this series has yet found a way to slow New York for four quarters. ### How did New York take control so quickly? New York opened with a 37-point first quarter and led 37-27 after 12 minutes. The Knicks never trailed, according to the game box score, and carried the same edge through the middle quarters before closing out the 13-point win. Cleveland shot 50% from the field, but New York was more efficient overall at 55% and made 24 of 27 free throws. (nba.com) The Knicks also forced 18 Cleveland turnovers while committing 15 of their own. New York finished with 27 assists and 11 steals, numbers that matched the way the game looked: steady half-court offense and enough defensive pressure to keep Cleveland from making a sustained run. ### Which Knicks set the tone besides Brunson? (nba.com) Jalen Brunson’s 30 points were the game high, but New York got scoring support across the lineup. Mikal Bridges added 22 points, according to the game recap, as the Knicks again avoided leaning on one player alone. Brunson also finished with six assists. (thescore.com) The box score showed Josh Hart with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns added to New York’s balanced scoring. That mix has defined the Knicks’ run through the East and has now put them on the edge of the franchise’s first conference title in 27 years. (washingtonpost.com) ### What did Cleveland get, and what did it miss? Cleveland got 24 points from Evan Mobley, and Donovan Mitchell and Mobley combined for 47 points, according to game coverage and box-score reporting. The Cavaliers also made 12 3-pointers, one more than New York. The Cavaliers did not get enough stops early, and the first-quarter deficit stayed with them all night. (nba.com) Cleveland went 12-for-19 at the free-throw line and shot 29% from 3-point range, compared with New York’s 39%. Those gaps, along with the turnovers, left the home team chasing the game from the opening minutes. (thescore.com) ### How unusual is a 3-0 lead here? The 3-0 lead puts New York one win from its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, according to CBS Sports’ playoff bracket page. The Knicks reached this point after taking the first two games at home, then winning again on the road in Cleveland. (thescore.com) The 10-game winning streak is also the longest active run of this postseason for New York. Washington Post game coverage said the Knicks had not lost in a month and had turned a 2-1 first-round deficit against Atlanta into a run that now has them on the brink of the Finals. (cbssports.com) ### What happens next in the series? Game 4 is scheduled for Monday, May 25, with New York trying to close out the Cavaliers and win the Eastern Conference. CBS Sports’ playoff schedule said the Knicks can clinch the East in the next game, and the NBA’s playoff page lists the series as 3-0 entering the next matchup. (washingtonpost.com) The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 3, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule. If the Knicks win once more, they will advance to face the Western Conference champion for the franchise’s first Finals trip since 1999. (espn.com) (cbssports.com)