The New York Knicks dethroned the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 on Thursday night to move halfway to their first NBA finals appearance since 1999.
Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, while Jalen Brunson tallied 19 points and 14 assists. Mikal Bridges dropped 19, and Karl Anthony Towns added 18 points and 13 rebounds.
New York has won its ninth straight game, which is the NBA’s longest postseason winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight on their way to the 2024 championship.
After rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth, the Knicks made sure to be in control late with an 18-0 run in the third quarter that gave them a 71-53 lead.
On the other hand, Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points, and James Harden added 18 points.
Mitchell was off to a slow start with just seven points in the first half, as he might be injured. He sank a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left, giving the Cavs a 27-24 lead after one.
Cleveland will have to climb out of a 2-0 deficit for the second straight round.
Hart outgunned the Cavaliers’ defensive strategy, which seemed built around leaving him open from long range after he was benched for the rally in Game 1.
Despite shooting just 26.7 from triple, the Knicks swingman kept firing and finished 5 for 11 on threes.
The Knicks led 53-49 at halftime, and the Cavs earned the first two baskets of the third to tie it, but Brunson answered with a triple to start the 18-0 run.
Although the Cavaliers cut it to single digits with just under eight minutes left, they missed the chance to maintain the momentum as they missed 10 in the game and finished at 68.8%.
Cleveland hosts Game 3 on Saturday.
