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

The Knicks are two wins from the NBA Finals after a Game 2 that looked very different from their Game 1 escape. New York beat Cleveland 109-93 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, using a third-quarter surge to turn a tight game into a one-sided finish. (nba.com) Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, and Jalen Brunson paired 19 points with a playoff career-high 14 assists. The result gave New York a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals and sent the series to Cleveland with the Cavaliers again facing an early hole. ### How did New York break the game open after halftime? An 18-0 Knicks run in the third quarter turned the game. NBA.com’s game recap said New York used that stretch to build a 71-53 lead two nights after rallying from a 22-point deficit in Game 1. Cleveland repeatedly cut the margin earlier, but the Knicks answered each push and never let the Cavaliers get control in the second half. Madison Square Garden was in celebration mode by the closing minutes. NBA.com said fans chanted “Knicks in four!” after the starters had already gone to the bench, a sign of how fully New York had taken over by the end. (nba.com) ### Why was Josh Hart the central figure in Game 2? Josh Hart finished with 26 points, seven assists and five 3-pointers in 33 minutes. The NBA.com recap said he punished a Cleveland defensive approach that appeared willing to leave him open from long range, and he shot 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. (nba.com) Mike Brown, the Knicks’ coach, put the performance plainly. “Just a whale of a game from Josh,” Brown said after the win. ### What did Brunson and the rest of the starting group add? (nba.com) Jalen Brunson had 19 points and 14 assists, both helping New York keep its offense organized even when his own shot was uneven from 3-point range. Mikal Bridges also scored 19 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Knicks got scoring and playmaking from across the lineup. (nba.com) The Knicks shot 51.8% from the field and finished with 32 assists on 44 made baskets. Those numbers reflected the balance in the starting unit more than a one-man scoring night, with OG Anunoby also scoring 14 points and New York committing only six turnovers. (nba.com) ### What did Cleveland get, and where did it fall short? 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. But the Cavaliers shot 38.8% overall and 25.7% from 3-point range, numbers that left them chasing for most of the second half. (nba.com) Mitchell said the Cavaliers had been in this position before. “Nothing to hang our head about,” he said, according to NBA.com. “They protected home court, and we’ve seen this before so we’re going to go to Game 3.” (nba.com) ### How unusual is New York’s current run? New York has won nine straight playoff games, according to NBA.com’s recap. The league said that is its longest postseason winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight during their 2024 championship run. (nba.com) Karl-Anthony Towns said the Knicks were not treating the series lead as security. “In our mind it’s 0-0,” Towns said. “We’ve got to win the next game. It’s the most important game of the year and that’s how we treat it.” (nba.com) ### What comes next in the series? Game 3 is set for Saturday, May 23, at 8 p.m. ET in Cleveland, according to NBA.com’s series page. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday, May 25, also in Cleveland, with the Cavaliers now needing a home response to keep the series from slipping further away. (nba.com)