It turns out you can hold on to a big lead in the Eastern Conference finals after all.
In the case of Game 2, it was the New York Knicks going up by double-digits in the second half and then, unlike the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1, holding on for a 109-93 win. They now hold a 2-0 series lead as they head to Cleveland.
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New York entered Thursday with all the momentum, plus home-court advantage, after outscoring Cleveland 44-11 to close out the series opener. The Cavaliers appeared to have shaken off that mortifying outcome in the first half, but it all fell apart early in the third quarter.
After a 5-0 run briefly tied the game, the Knicks responded with an 18-0 run to take the kind of lead the Cavaliers blew in Game 1. Cleveland actually got to within striking distance early in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to seven, but some bad free-throw shooting down the stretch prevented it from finishing the job.
The Knicks took their largest lead of the night with less than three minutes left in the game.
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After a quiet Game 1, Josh Hart responded with a playoff career-high 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting (5-of-11 from 3-point range), plus seven assists and some aggressive defense against Cleveland’s backcourt.
The Cavaliers began the game by leaving him mostly open and it worked, as he missed four of his first five shots. Then it stopped working.
That more than made up for a slow start from Jalen Brunson, who had two points at halftime but finished with 19, plus a playoff career-high 14 assists.
It’s only now that the impact of Game 1 is really apparent. With a semblance of defense down the stretch Tuesday, Cleveland has this series tied 1-1 and holds home-court advantage as it goes back to Ohio.
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In reality, the Cavs are halfway to a sweep against a team that has been carrying an aura since early in the postseason. It’s never great when you owner is trying to rally the troops on social media after two games.
One more loss on Saturday in Game 3 (8 p.m. ET, ABC), and we’ll be all but done here. If we’re not already.
Here’s how Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals went down at Yahoo Sports.
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Jack Baer
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Ian Casselberry
The Knicks take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals with a 109-93 win over the Cavaliers. The Madison Square Garden crowd chanted “Knicks in 4” as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Josh Hart and Donovan Mitchell each scored 26 points for their respective teams. For Hart, that was a playoff career-high.
Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson both added 19 points for the Knicks, with Brunson also dishing out 14 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 18 and grabbed 13 boards.
James Harden followed Mitchell with 18 points, six assists and two steals. Jarrett Allen scored 13 with 10 rebounds.
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Ian Casselberry
Mike Brown takes Josh Hart out of the game and the MSG crowd gives him a deserved ovation.
Hart finished with a playoff career-high 26 points to lead the Knicks, in addition to four rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
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Ian Casselberry
Since James Harden hit a 3, the Knicks are on an 8-1 run. Jalen Brunson dashed down the court for a fast-break layup off a Jarrett Allen missed jumper, giving New York a 103-86 lead.
Cleveland calls timeout with 3:18 remaining in the fourth. Time running out on the Cavs here.
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Ian Casselberry
For those who enjoy their celebrity sightings at Madison Square Garden, ESPN provided 20 seconds of star power.
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Ian Casselberry
James Harden hits a 3 to cut the Knicks’ lead to 95-85. But he subsequently gets shouldered in the lane by Jalen Brunson, who hits a short jumper in the lane.
Are the Knicks going to target Harden down the stretch again here?
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Ian Casselberry
OG Anunoby shrugged off Jaylon Tyson at the basket for a layup, which was followed up by a Mikal Bridges’ corner 3.
That puts the Knicks back up 95-82 at the midway point of the fourth quarter. Kenny Atkinson calls timeout.
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Ian Casselberry
OG Anunoby stopped the Cavaliers’ run with a 3-pointer to restore the Knicks’ lead to 88-78. But Donovan Mitchell answered with a floater to pull Cleveland to within eight points.
Mike Brown calls timeout for the Knicks with 7:46 remaining in the fourth.
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Ian Casselberry
Cleveland has scored the first four points of the fourth quarter. And after a loose ball foul on Jordan Clarkson, the Knicks are already in the penalty with nine minutes remaining.
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Jack Baer
The Cavaliers open the fourth quarter with a 4-0 mini-run and the deficit is down to 11 points. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges just checked in a bit earlier than they usually do in the fourth quarter.
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Jack Baer
The Cavaliers need to do what the Knicks did to them in Game 1, after an 18-0 run early in the third quarter puts New York up big. Josh Hart’s still at 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns has 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell has shaken off a slow start to lead Cleveland with 18 points. The Cavs bench is shooting 3-of-19 from the field.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
The Josh Hart Game. He’s up to 24 points and 5-for-10 shooting from deep.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Game 1: Cavaliers go up by 22 in the second half, lose.
Game 2: Cavaliers go down by 15 in the second half, ???.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
The Cavaliers tied it, but the Knicks have responded with a 9-0 run to build their largest lead of the game. Donovan Mitchell also just picked up his third foul.
On the bright side for Cleveland, it’s nice to see Kenny Atkinson remember he can call timeout.
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Jack Baer
The second half is underway,
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell are a combined 3-for-12 for nine points through two quarters. The Knicks have done a better job making do, shooting 51.2% as a team to make up for the Cavaliers’ rebounding advantage.
Evan Mobley leads all scorers with 14 points. The rest of the Cavaliers are shooting 31.6% as a team.
