In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks defeated the Cavs 121-108, with Brunson scoring 30 points and leading 3-0.
Published May 24, 2026
The New York Knicks defeated Cleveland 121-108, extending their playoff winning streak to 10 games and on the verge of advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Jalen Brunson had a game-high 30 points, OG Anunoby had 21 points and Mikal Bridges had 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting as New York pushed the Cavaliers to the brink of elimination on Saturday.
Branson said he was “speechless.” “I thought we fought, the most important thing.”
The Knicks have a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals and could win it all in Game 4 in Cleveland on Monday.
No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
“The series is not over,” Anunoby said. “Just keep a tight grip on their necks and just try to win the game.”
Brunson said the Knicks have to stay focused. “Just focus on one possession at a time.”
“We’ve had that mindset over the last few weeks and we need to continue to do that, even if we haven’t really gotten better.”
The last time the Knicks reached the NBA Finals was 27 years ago, when they lost to San Antonio. They haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973.
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and Josh Hart added 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals for a Knicks team that hasn’t lost in a month.
“Our mindset hasn’t changed,” Branson said.
“We’re trying to get better every day. We’re trying to learn from our wins.
“There’s a lot of things we can improve on. There’s a lot of things we can control and a lot of mental errors that we need to correct, but we’re just always looking for ways to improve.”
Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 24 points, Donovan Mitchell had 23 points and James Harden added 19 points.
The Cavaliers, who lost the series opener with a 22-point lead, never took the lead as New York took control early and dominated.
“I would say the momentum carried over (from Game 1),” Anunoby said.
“We try to play the right way every game, and maybe that momentum took over a little bit.”
New York started the game 10-of-13 from the floor and took a 29-19 lead just 8 minutes, 29 seconds into the game, and Towns scored 11 points in that run to lead 37-27 at the end of the first quarter.
Cleveland cut New York’s lead to 60-54 at halftime, but the Cavaliers committed six turnovers in the first six minutes of the third quarter.
The Knicks led 91-82 in the fourth quarter, but extended their lead to 110-93 at the end of the quarter, winning their fifth straight game.
“Just executing the game plan on both ends of the floor, playing the right way, moving the ball and getting stops defensively,” Anunoby said of New York’s secret to success.
