Knicks beat Cavaliers 109-93, move two wins from NBA Finals

Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, Jalen Brunson recorded 19 points and 14 assists, and the New York Knicks moved within two wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 with a 109-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mikal Bridges added 19 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Knicks extended their winning streak to nine games Thursday night.

The streak is the longest postseason winning streak in the NBA since the Boston Celtics won 10 consecutive games en route to the 2024 championship.

Hart shot 5-for-11 from 3-point range, exploiting a defensive strategy that appeared designed to leave him open from beyond the arc, and added seven assists.

“Just a whale of a game from Josh,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

Two nights after erasing a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Knicks ensured a comfortable finish with an 18-0 third-quarter run that built a 71-53 lead. Fans chanted “Knicks in four! Knicks in four!” in the final minute, well after the starters had been pulled.

“In our mind it’s 0-0. We’ve got to win the next game. It’s the most important game of the year and that’s how we treat it,” Towns said.

Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and James Harden added 18 for the Cavaliers, who must overcome a 2-0 series deficit for the second consecutive round. They will host Game 3 on Saturday.

“Nothing to hang our head about,” Mitchell said. “They protected home court, and we’ve seen this before so we’re going to go to Game 3.”

The Knicks are in the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive year but have not reached the NBA Finals since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.

Brunson, who scored 38 points and engineered the Game 1 comeback, had just two points in the first half Thursday before scoring the first basket of the decisive run. He finished with a playoff career-high 14 assists.

Hart was benched for the Game 1 rally, playing only three combined minutes in the fourth quarter and overtime. The forward had been shooting 26.7 percent from 3-point range, and after missing his third consecutive shot from deep early Thursday, he bit his jersey in frustration and bounced the ball hard three times. But he kept shooting.

“I knew I had to just keep shooting and if I did that I’d be good,” Hart said.

Mitchell started slowly with seven points in the first half, prompting renewed questions about a possible injury that followed Game 1. His 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left gave Cleveland a 27-24 lead after the first quarter.

The Knicks led 53-49 at halftime. The Cavaliers scored the first two baskets of the third quarter to tie the game, but Brunson responded with a 3-pointer to ignite the 18-0 run. He added two more baskets during the surge, and Hart hit two 3-pointers, the second making it 71-53 with 5:36 left in the quarter. After Cleveland scored five consecutive points, Hart knocked down another 3 and Towns scored to restore an 18-point lead.

Cleveland cut the deficit to single digits with just under eight minutes remaining but squandered any chance of a closer finish with poor free-throw shooting, missing 10 attempts and finishing at 68.8 percent. The Knicks eventually stretched their lead to 19 points.

“It’s difficult when you’re not making shots,” Harden said. “It puts twice as much pressure on you defensively to get stops.”