Knicks take 2-0 series lead, beat Cavaliers 109-93 in Game 2

The New York Knicks took a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 109-93 win in Game 2 on May 21 at Madison Square Garden. Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, and Jalen Brunson finished with 14 assists as New York followed its overtime comeback in Game 1 with a wire-to-wire result in Game 2. The series now shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday night. New York has won nine straight playoff games, according to ESPN and NBA playoff tracking. ### How did New York take control after Game 1? The Knicks turned a volatile series opener into a more conventional Game 2 result by building separation in the second half. NBA playoff tracking shows New York won 109-93 and pushed its series lead to 2-0 before the matchup moved to Cleveland. Game 1 had ended with a 115-104 New York overtime win after the Knicks erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit, The Athletic reported. (nba.com) That comeback gave New York home-court protection and shifted pressure onto Cleveland entering the second game. ### Why was Josh Hart the central figure in Game 2? Josh Hart scored 26 points, his playoff career high, and gave New York a scoring lift after struggling in stretches of Game 1. NBA.com listed Hart as the Game 2 player of the night, while multiple game reports said he hit five 3-pointers and added seven assists. (nytimes.com) Newsday reported Hart had been benched late in Game 1 after missing shots during New York's comeback. His response in Game 2 gave the Knicks a different offensive shape, with a secondary scorer converting the looks created around Brunson and the rest of the starting group. (nba.com) ### What did Brunson's 14 assists change? Jalen Brunson recorded 14 assists in Game 2, which NBA.com described as a playoff career high. The same performance gave New York its highest single-game playoff assist total by a Knick since Charlie Ward in 1998, according to reports cited in the source briefing. (newsday.com) The Knicks' series averages through two games show 26.0 assists per game, compared with 19.0 for Cleveland, according to NBA.com. That gap helps explain how New York has paired Brunson's scoring with broader ball movement in the first two games of the series. ### How deep is Cleveland's hole now? Cleveland trails 2-0 in the best-of-seven series after dropping both games in New York. (nba.com) UPI reported Cavaliers players said they were "ready" for Game 3 despite the deficit, while Cleveland.com described the Game 2 loss as getting outclassed at Madison Square Garden. Donovan Mitchell remains Cleveland's series scoring leader at 27.5 points per game, while Evan Mobley is among the players under focus entering the next game, according to NBA.com's series page. Cleveland will need to reverse a trend that has left it averaging 98.5 points through two games. ### What happens next in the series? (upi.com) Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, at 8 p.m. ET in Cleveland on ABC, according to NBA.com. Game 4 is set for May 25, with Games 5 through 7 scheduled for May 27, May 29 and May 31 if necessary. The 2026 NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 3, ESPN's playoff hub says. (nba.com) New York is now two wins from reaching that round, while Cleveland returns home needing a response to avoid a 3-0 deficit.