Knicks win Game 1 in overtime

The New York Knicks opened the Eastern Conference finals with a 115-104 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19 at Madison Square Garden, overturning a 22-point deficit and taking a 1-0 series lead. CBS Sports described the result as a historic comeback, and USA Today’s live coverage focused on New York’s late rally and Cleveland’s collapse. NBA.com’s game summary listed Jalen Brunson with 38 points for New York and Donovan Mitchell with 29 for Cleveland. The Knicks then opened overtime with a 9-0 burst, according to NBC News, after forcing the extra period with their fourth-quarter push. ### How big was the comeback? CBS Sports said New York pulled off a “historic comeback” after Cleveland controlled much of Game 1 before the Knicks surged late. NBC News reported the Knicks were down 22 points in the fourth quarter before Brunson led the rally. USA Today’s live coverage similarly framed the finish around Cleveland’s late collapse and New York’s comeback to steal the opener. (nba.com) NBA.com’s game page shows the final margin at 11 points even though the game required overtime, underscoring how decisively New York finished once it extended the contest. The Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 9-0 in overtime, NBC News reported. ### Who drove New York’s rally? Jalen Brunson finished with 38 points, according to NBA.com and Sporting News, and became the central figure in New York’s comeback. (cbssports.com) NBC News said Brunson led the Knicks back from 22 down in the fourth quarter, while Sporting News said his scoring carried New York to the overtime win. Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for Cleveland, NBA.com said, but the Cavaliers could not close out the game after building their lead. (nba.com) NBA.com also listed Evan Mobley as Cleveland’s rebounding leader with 14. ### What does Game 1 tell readers about the series right now? The series score is 1-0 in New York’s favor after one game, and that is the clearest immediate consequence of the opener. (nba.com) USA Today’s coverage cast the game as a missed chance for Cleveland after controlling long stretches, while CBS Sports updated its playoff bracket to show the Knicks holding the early edge in the East finals. ESPN’s press release for the matchup said the Eastern Conference finals between Cleveland and New York began on Tuesday, May 19, on ESPN networks. That places the opener in the broader conference-finals schedule rather than as a standalone upset. (usatoday.com) ### Where can readers verify the score and highlights? NBA.com posted the official game summary and box score for Cleveland’s 104-115 overtime loss to New York on May 19. USA Today ran a live highlights page for the game, and NBA.com also published a live updates page tied to the opener. CBS Sports updated its 2026 playoff bracket and schedule page with the Game 1 result, while NBC News published a straight game story centered on Brunson and the comeback. (espnpressroom.com) Those pages together provide the score, the comeback framing and the series status. ### What happens next in the series? Game 2 is scheduled for May 21 as the Cavaliers and Knicks continue the Eastern Conference finals, according to the NBA playoff schedule listings and ESPN’s series announcement. (nba.com) ESPN said the series is being carried exclusively on ESPN networks. (cbssports.com) The next milestone is straightforward: Cleveland will try to level the series at 1-1, and New York will try to take a 2-0 lead before the matchup moves forward in the conference finals schedule. (nbcsports.com) (espnpressroom.com)