Knicks take 2-0 series lead with 109-93 win over Cavaliers at MSG

The New York Knicks are halfway to the NBA Finals after a very different kind of win. Thursday’s 109-93 result over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden did not require another late rescue. Two nights after New York erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1, the Knicks controlled most of Game 2, used a decisive third-quarter run to break it open, and now head to Cleveland with a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Josh Hart led New York with a playoff career-high 26 points, and Jalen Brunson finished with 19 points and a playoff career-high 14 assists. ### How did this one get away from Cleveland? New York turned the game in the third quarter with an 18-0 run that pushed a tight contest into a double-digit Knicks lead. CBS New York said the burst gave New York a 71-53 advantage, and the Cavaliers never recovered. (apnews.com) The box score showed how cleanly the Knicks played on offense. New York shot 58.8% from the field and made 12 of 35 from 3-point range, while Cleveland shot 38.8% overall and 9 of 35 from deep. The Knicks’ starting five accounted for 96 points. ### Who set the tone for New York? Josh Hart gave the Knicks the scoring punch they did not get from one player in Game 1. (cbsnews.com) Hart went 10-for-21 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point range, adding seven assists and four rebounds in 33 minutes. Jalen Brunson ran the game more as a distributor than a volume scorer. (nba.com) Brunson shot 7-for-16, scored 19 points and handed out 14 assists, the highest playoff assist total of his career, according to NBA.com coverage surfaced in search results. Mikal Bridges added 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 13 rebounds. ### What did Cleveland get — and not get? Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points for Cleveland, and James Harden added 18. Jarrett Allen had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Evan Mobley scored 14 points. Those numbers were not enough to offset the Cavaliers’ shooting problems and limited ball movement. Cleveland finished with 15 assists and 42 rebounds. (nba.com) The perimeter numbers were especially damaging. Max Strus went 1-for-7 from the field, Sam Merrill went 1-for-8 and 0-for-7 from 3-point range, and the Cavaliers as a team made fewer than 26% of their 3-point attempts. ### How close are the Knicks now? The 2-0 lead leaves New York two wins from its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. (nba.com) The Knicks have also won nine straight playoff games, according to CBS Sports’ playoff bracket update after Thursday’s game. The schedule now shifts to Ohio, where Cleveland has been much stronger this postseason. (nba.com) The Athletic, cited in the source briefing, said the Cavaliers were 6-1 at home entering Games 3 and 4. ### What happens next in the series? NBA.com’s series page lists Game 3 for Saturday, May 23, at 8 p.m. (nbcnewyork.com) Eastern in Cleveland, with Game 4 set for Monday, May 25, also in Cleveland. If needed, Game 5 would return to New York on May 27, followed by Game 6 on May 29 and Game 7 on May 31. (nba.com)