Knicks beat Cavaliers 121-108 in Game 3

The New York Knicks are one win from the NBA Finals after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday in Cleveland. New York took a 3-0 series lead with its 10th straight playoff victory, continuing a postseason run that has turned into the franchise’s longest in decades. (nba.com) Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 30 points, and New York put three other starters into double figures in another road-and-home stretch of control over Cleveland. (sports.yahoo.com) Cleveland got 24 points from Evan Mobley, while Donovan Mitchell and Mobley combined for 47 in the loss. The Cavaliers now face elimination in Game 4 on Monday at Rocket Arena. (sports.yahoo.com) No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series, according to Yahoo’s game report. ### How did New York build control of Game 3? New York scored 121 points and again spread the offense across its starting group. Brunson finished with 30, Mikal Bridges scored 22 and OG Anunoby added 21, according to the game box score carried by Yahoo Sports. The Knicks have now won 10 straight playoff games, and Yahoo said only one of those victories came by single digits. (nba.com) Rocket Arena hosted Cleveland’s first home game of the series, but the Cavaliers still could not slow a Knicks team that entered the night having won nine straight postseason games. NBA.com’s live recap said New York had been winning those games by an average margin of 23.5 points before Game 3. (nba.com) ### What did Cleveland get from Mitchell and Mobley? Evan Mobley scored 24 points for Cleveland, the official NBA game summary showed. Donovan Mitchell joined Mobley in accounting for 47 combined points, but Cleveland still gave up 121 and fell into a 3-0 hole in the series. (sports.yahoo.com) The Cavaliers’ problem was not limited to one scorer. New York had enough support behind Brunson to keep distance on the scoreboard, and Cleveland never turned its home floor into the kind of swing game teams usually need when trailing 2-0 in a conference finals. USA Today described the result as New York getting the better of Cleveland at Rocket Arena on Saturday night. (nba.com) ### How unusual is a 10-game playoff streak for the Knicks? The Knicks’ 10 straight playoff wins have pushed the franchise to the edge of its first Finals appearance since 1999. (nba.com) CBS Sports’ playoff coverage said New York is now one win from that milestone after Saturday’s result. The series score is now 3-0, and that is the number that frames the rest of the matchup. Yahoo’s live report noted that no NBA team has erased a 3-0 playoff deficit, leaving Cleveland with no margin for error in the next game. (usatoday.com) ### When can New York finish the series? Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in Cleveland, with tipoff listed at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, according to Yahoo’s game report. The Knicks can clinch the Eastern Conference title there and secure their first NBA Finals trip since 1999. (cbssports.com) June 3 is the scheduled start of the NBA Finals on ABC, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule page cited in the source briefing. For now, New York’s next step is simpler: one more win in Cleveland on Monday. (sports.yahoo.com)