Knicks Blow Past Cavaliers 109-93 to Take 2-0 Lead in East Finals
Cleveland went scoreless for over five minutes in the third and couldn’t recover. The series now shifts with New York one win away from the NBA Finals.
Josh Hart’s 26 points power Knicks’ third-quarter surge against Cleveland...
The New York Knicks broke the game open with a big third quarter and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 on Thursday. The win gives New York a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
Josh Hart paced the Knicks with 26 points, a career high for him in the playoffs. He hit five of New York’s 13 threes on the night.
Jalen Brunson finished with 19 points after a quiet first half where he scored just two. The Knicks star had led New York’s 22-point fourth-quarter comeback in Game 1, which ended in overtime.
Brunson also set a career playoff high with 14 assists as part of the Knicks’ 32 total assists.
Hart added seven assists of his own and made the Cavaliers pay whenever they left him open from three.
“It felt good,” Hart told ESPN. He had sat out overtime during New York’s comeback win on Tuesday.
“The thing I'm most happy about is I started zero for three from (three-point range), and I just kept shooting.
“I'm putting the work in, and it's kind of built that confidence. So it felt good.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown said Hart played a “whale of a game.”
“He's a gamer,” Brown said. “When you have guys that are gamers they do stuff that people don't think that they can do at any time.”
*Cleveland Goes Cold as Knicks Run Away with Game 2
Cleveland came out with energy and edged a back-and-forth first quarter 27-24. There was no sign of a letdown after Tuesday’s tough loss.
Even with Jalen Brunson scoring only two points before halftime, New York led 53-49 at the break.
The Cavaliers tied it at 53-53 early in the third, but the Knicks answered with an 18-0 run to jump ahead 71-53.
Cleveland went more than five minutes without scoring in the third quarter. New York carried an 85-70 lead into the final period.
KNICKS WIN GAME 2!
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2026
9 STRAIGHT POSTSEASON WINS.
2-0 SERIES LEAD IN THE EAST FINALS 🍿 pic.twitter.com/IdDXsAg9BW
“I thought we had a lot of good looks, a lot of good looks from (three-point range), good looks at the rim,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “(We) took care of the ball, offensive rebounds.
“It wasn't a great shooting night,” he added. “At the end of the day, you've got to put the ball in the hole. Tonight we didn't.”
Donovan Mitchell agreed with that take and said he wasn’t concerned about the Cavaliers’ offense.
“We just didn't make shots,” he said. “I loved everything about the looks we got," Mitchell said. “Some days you just miss the open ones.”
Final.@Redfin | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/mlPckYa40R
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 22, 2026
Whoever wins this series will face either the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
The Thunder and Spurs are tied 1-1 in the Western Conference finals.
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