Knicks take 2-0 Eastern Conference series lead with 109-91 Game 2 win over Cavaliers

The New York Knicks took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday, May 21, by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 at Madison Square Garden. Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, Jalen Brunson added 19 points and 14 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds. New York led by as many as 27 and turned the game with an 18-0 run in the third quarter. The result put the Knicks two wins from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. ### How did New York separate after the Game 1 comeback? New York opened Game 2 without needing the late rescue it needed in Game 1, when it had erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to win in overtime. In Game 2, the Knicks seized control in the third quarter, using that 18-0 burst to build a 71-53 lead and remove any need for another comeback. (nba.com) Madison Square Garden saw a different script from Tuesday’s opener. The Knicks had trailed late in Game 1 before closing on a 44-11 run, but on Thursday they held the lead deep into the second half and sent their starters to the bench before the final horn. Fans chanted “Knicks in four!” in the closing minute, according to the NBA game recap. (nba.com) ### Why was Josh Hart the central figure? Josh Hart finished with 26 points, seven assists and five made 3-pointers, punishing a Cleveland defense that the NBA recap said appeared willing to leave him open on the perimeter. Knicks coach Mike Brown said afterward, “Just a whale of a game from Josh.” Jalen Brunson paired his 19 points with a playoff career-high 14 assists, while Mikal Bridges also scored 19. (nba.com) Towns added a double-double and said the Knicks were treating the series as unfinished despite the 2-0 lead. “In our mind it’s 0-0. We’ve got to win the next game,” Towns said, according to the NBA recap. ### What did Cleveland get, and what didn’t it get? (nba.com) Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points for Cleveland and James Harden added 18, but the Cavaliers did not match New York’s depth or second-half control. Cleveland finished on the wrong side of a game in which New York’s lead reached 27 and the Knicks’ supporting cast repeatedly converted open looks. (nba.com) Mitchell said the Cavaliers had been in this position before. “Nothing to hang our head about,” he said after the game, according to the NBA recap. “They protected home court, and we’ve seen this before so we’re going to go to Game 3.” ### How unusual is this run for the Knicks? The Knicks won their ninth straight postseason game with Thursday’s victory, which the NBA recap called the league’s longest playoff winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight during their 2024 championship run. (nba.com) The win also moved New York halfway to its first NBA Finals trip since 1999. The broader playoff bracket shows New York now leading Cleveland 2-0 in the East finals, while the Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs is tied 1-1. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 3. ### When and where is the next game? Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. (nba.com) The NBA playoff schedule lists an 8:00 p.m. ET start on ABC, with Game 4 also set for Cleveland on Monday, May 25. (nba.com)