New York, May — The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals and move within two wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. The game stayed close for most of the first half, with neither team leading by more than six points before Josh Hart and OG Anunoby closed the second quarter on an 8-4 push that gave New York a 53-49 halftime advantage. Cleveland briefly tied the score early in the third quarter, but Jalen Brunson answered with a 28-foot jumper that ignited an 18-0 Knicks run in which the Cavaliers went 0-for-7 from the field, missed two free throws and committed two turnovers. Hart scored nine points during that decisive third-quarter burst and capped it with a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 71-53 with 5:35 left in the period, finishing the night with a playoff-career-high 26 points, seven assists and five 3-pointers. Brunson added 19 points and a playoff-career-high 14 assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds; Mikal Bridges scored 19 and Anunoby had 14 as New York led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter and never allowed Cleveland to get closer than single digits after an early Cavs surge. Donovan Mitchell paced Cleveland with 26 points and Jarrett Allen had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Cavaliers struggled offensively, shooting 38.8% from the field, 25.7% from 3-point range and 68.8% at the line. The Knicks have now won nine straight playoff games, a single-postseason franchise record, and Game 3 is set for Saturday night in Cleveland.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.