Josh Hart posts playoff career-high 26

Josh Hart gave New York a different kind of Game 2 on Thursday night. After scoring 13 points in the Knicks’ overtime win in the series opener on May 19, Hart finished with a playoff career-high 26 points in a 109-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, pushing New York to a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. (nba.com) The 26-point total was the highest of Hart’s postseason career, topping his previous playoff best of 24 points. (nba.com) NBA.com’s game page listed Hart among the Game 2 leaders, and The Athletic’s live coverage reported he shot 11 for 16 from the field while helping New York pull away in the second half. ### How big was Hart’s scoring night for New York? Hart’s 26 points matched Donovan Mitchell for the game high, according to NBA.com’s game listing for May 21. (nba.com) The Knicks got 19 points and 14 assists from Jalen Brunson, and the club’s starting lineup combined for 96 points, NBA.com’s recap said. The Knicks won 109-93 after leading by 16 points entering the fourth quarter. Fox Sports’ play-by-play summary showed New York used an 18-0 run in the third quarter to seize control, turning a competitive game into a double-digit margin. (nba.com) ### What did the box score show beyond the 26 points? The official NBA box score for Game 2 showed Hart as New York’s leading scorer. (nba.com) Search results from NBA.com and other game pages identified him with 26 points, while AP reported he also grabbed six rebounds and handed out three assists in the win. Hart’s efficiency stood out as much as the raw total. The Athletic’s live analysis reported he made 11 of 16 field-goal attempts, a line that gave New York a second scorer alongside Brunson on a night when Cleveland held the rest of the Knicks below Hart’s total. (foxsports.com) ### How did this compare with Hart’s earlier playoff highs? Hart’s previous playoff high was 24 points in the 2024 postseason, according to the official box score cited in the upstream briefing. (nba.com) His Game 1 line in this series — 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 30:30 — underscored the jump from opener to Game 2. The contrast was visible in the series flow. New York needed Brunson’s 38 points to erase a 22-point deficit in the May 19 opener, but Game 2 featured a broader scoring spread, with Hart taking a larger share of the offense from the start. (nba.com) ### What did Hart’s night mean for the series score? The Knicks are now two wins from the NBA Finals, AP reported after the final horn. NBA.com’s scoreboard listed New York ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series after defending home court in the first two games at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com) Cleveland still got 26 points from Mitchell, but the Cavaliers finished with 93 points after scoring 104 in Game 1. (nba.com) New York’s Game 2 defensive effort gave the Knicks a second straight win over a Cleveland team that entered the matchup after dropping the opener in overtime. ### When is the next game? Game 3 is set for Saturday, May 23, according to ESPN’s postseason schedule page for the Knicks. (apnews.com) The series shifts to Cleveland with New York holding the 2-0 edge after wins on May 19 and May 21 at Madison Square Garden. (espn.com) (nba.com)