Josh Hart delivered a playoff career-high 26 points, while Jalen Brunson added 19 points and 14 assists as the New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 on Thursday night, moving within two wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, News.Az reports, citing AP.

Mikal Bridges also contributed 19 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Knicks secured their ninth consecutive postseason victory.

It marks the NBA’s longest playoff winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight games during their run to the 2024 championship.

Hart shot 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, taking advantage of Cleveland’s defensive approach that repeatedly left him open from long distance. He also finished with seven assists.

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

After overcoming a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1, New York made sure there would be no late drama this time. The Knicks used an 18-0 run in the third quarter to build a commanding 71-53 advantage. Fans inside the arena began chanting “Knicks in four! Knicks in four!” during the final minute as both teams emptied their benches.

“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 for Cleveland, while James Harden added 18. The Cavaliers now face the challenge of recovering from a 2-0 series deficit for the second consecutive round. Cleveland 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 have now reached the Eastern Conference finals for a second straight season, but they have not appeared in the NBA Finals since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.

Brunson, who scored 38 points in New York’s Game 1 comeback victory, struggled offensively in the first half Thursday and had just two points before halftime. However, he sparked the decisive third-quarter surge with a 3-pointer and ended the night with the highest assist total of his playoff career.

Hart had been benched during the decisive moments of Game 1, playing only three minutes combined in the fourth quarter and overtime. Entering Thursday’s game, he had been shooting just 26.7% from 3-point range in the playoffs. After missing another early attempt from deep, Hart showed visible frustration by biting his jersey and bouncing the ball hard on the floor three times. Despite that, he continued shooting confidently.

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

Mitchell had a quiet first half with only seven points, leading to renewed speculation about his health following Game 1. Still, he knocked down a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in the opening quarter to give Cleveland a 27-24 lead.

New York held a narrow 53-49 advantage at halftime. Cleveland scored the first two baskets of the third quarter to tie the game, but Brunson answered immediately with a 3-pointer to ignite the Knicks’ 18-0 run. Brunson added two more baskets during the stretch, while Hart knocked down two 3-pointers, the second extending the lead to 71-53 with 5:36 left in the third quarter. Although the Cavaliers responded with five straight points, Hart connected on another 3-pointer before Towns added a basket to restore the 18-point margin.

Cleveland managed to cut the deficit to single digits with less than eight minutes remaining, but poor free-throw shooting prevented any serious comeback attempt. The Cavaliers missed 10 free throws and finished the game shooting 68.8% from the line. New York later extended its advantage back 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.”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev