CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and dished six assists as the New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Rocket Arena. The victory gave New York a 2-0 lead in the third game of their NBA playoff series. New York jumped out to a 37-27 first-quarter lead and never trailed, holding Cleveland to 27 points in each of the first two quarters. The Knicks led 60-54 at halftime before extending the margin in the second half. Mikal Bridges added 22 points and OG Anunoby scored 21 points for New York. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Josh Hart contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 24 points, and Donovan Mitchell added 23 points. James Harden scored 19 points with five assists, Jarrett Allen had 17 points and seven rebounds, and Max Strus finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. The Knicks improved to 65-32, while the Cavaliers fell to 60-39. Game 4 is scheduled Monday in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Mikal Bridges added 22 and the New York Knicks moved within one game of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 with a 121-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. The Knicks led the entire game at Rocket Arena, where a sellout crowd of 19,432 watched New York take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. OG Anunoby added 21 points for the Knicks, who can complete a sweep Monday night in Game 4. New York shot 43 of 77 from the field, 11 of 28 from 3-point range and 24 of 27 from the free-throw line. Cleveland shot 42 of 84 from the floor but made only 12 of 41 from beyond the arc and 12 of 19 from the stripe. The Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 37-27 in the first quarter and never let the lead dip below single digits in the final three quarters. New York maintained a double-digit cushion for most of the second half, though Cleveland cut the deficit to 106-102 with about 1½ minutes left before the Knicks answered. Brunson, who also had six assists and three rebounds in 41 minutes, scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including five free throws in the final two minutes. Bridges finished with 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Anunoby had 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and one block. Josh Hart added 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 24 points, six rebounds and two assists. Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points with four assists. James Harden had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Jarrett Allen added 17 points and seven rebounds. Max Strus had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The decisive moment came early in the fourth quarter with the Knicks leading 82-80. New York went on a 14-2 run, fueled by a 3-pointer from Hart, a layup from Bridges and consecutive 3-pointers from Landry Shamet. The run pushed the lead to 96-82 and effectively ended any comeback hopes for Cleveland. Shamet, who scored 11 points off the bench, made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back shots from beyond the arc that stretched the lead to 94-88 with 7:14 remaining. His final 3-pointer with 5:30 left gave the Knicks a 99-93 advantage. Cleveland responded with a 7-2 spurt, cutting the margin to 101-100 on a jump shot by Mobley with 3:43 to go. But Brunson answered with a driving layup, and after a dunk by Allen tied it at 102-102, Bridges hit a floating jump shot to put New York ahead for good. The Knicks then forced a miss by Mitchell, and Brunson drove for a layup with 1:49 left to make it 106-102. After a turnover by the Cavaliers, Brunson sank two free throws with 35.9 seconds remaining, extending the lead to 108-102. Mobley scored on a layup with 30.2 seconds left, but Brunson hit two more free throws to seal the victory. New York’s defense was a key factor. The Knicks forced 17 turnovers, leading to 22 points. They also recorded 11 steals and four blocks. Cleveland committed 14 turnovers, which New York converted into 16 points. The Knicks improved to 65-32 overall, while Cleveland dropped to 60-39. New York has won 10 consecutive playoff games, the seventh team in NBA history to achieve that feat. The last team to do so was the Boston Celtics, who went on a 10-game run on their way to the 2024 title. Brunson, who averaged 19 points and 14 assists in Game 1 and 38 points and six assists in Game 2, was once again the catalyst. He scored 12 points in the first half and 10 in the fourth quarter. His ability to get to the foul line was crucial, as he made 9 of 11 free throws. The first quarter set the tone. New York shot 13 of 19 from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and built a 37-27 lead. Brunson had eight points in the period, and Towns added seven. Cleveland struggled from the perimeter, missing 13 of its first 15 3-point attempts. The Cavaliers shot 10 of 26 from the field in the quarter and never led. The Knicks extended their lead to 58-44 late in the second quarter, but the Cavaliers closed the half with a 10-6 run, cutting the deficit to 60-54 at halftime. Mitchell scored 12 points in the second quarter, and Harden added 10. New York regained control in the third quarter, outscoring Cleveland 31-28. Anunoby scored eight points in the period, including two 3-pointers, and Bridges added 10. The Knicks led 91-82 entering the fourth. The Cavaliers mounted one final push, opening the fourth quarter with a 5-2 run to cut the lead to 93-87. But Shamet answered with a 3-pointer, and after a basket by Allen, Bridges hit a layup to make it 98-89. Harden scored on a step-back jumper, but Brunson’s free throws kept the lead at nine. Cleveland got within 101-98 on a 3-pointer by Strus with 7:43 left, but Shamet hit another 3-pointer to push the lead back to eight. The Cavaliers never got closer than four the rest of the way. New York’s bench outscored Cleveland’s reserves 27-15. Shamet’s 11 points led the way, while Miles McBride added five. Cleveland’s bench was led by Sam Merrill’s five points. The Knicks also dominated the assist column, 33-21, and had a 40-34 edge in rebounds. Both teams had eight offensive rebounds apiece. New York’s offensive rating was 126.3 points per 100 possessions, while Cleveland’s was 106.9. The Knicks used 96 possessions to the Cavaliers’ 101. The Knicks can wrap up the series and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 with a win Monday night. Should Cleveland force a Game 5, it would be Wednesday night in New York. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cleveland 117, New York 108. Interstat’s ELO system had projected New York with a 64.40 percent probability to win. Cleveland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 229 went under the over/under line of 213.5.

CLEVELAND (Interstat) — The New York Knicks carry a 2-0 series lead into Rocket Arena on Saturday, May 23, 2026, as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. New York (64-32) has dominated the early matchups, winning 115-104 in overtime on May 19 and 109-93 on May 21. The Knicks bring a balanced attack led by center Karl-Anthony Towns, who has posted double-doubles in each of the last two games against Cleveland, including 18 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2. Towns has been a steady force throughout the postseason. In his last four games, the 7-footer has averaged 16.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, while recording three double-doubles in the Knicks’ four playoff wins. Over a longer stretch dating to the first round, Towns has logged triple-doubles against Atlanta on April 25 and April 30, showcasing his passing ability with 10 assists in each of those contests. Cleveland (60-38) faces a must-win situation at home. The Cavaliers have dropped two straight to New York after splitting four regular-season meetings. In those two playoff losses, Donovan Mitchell averaged 27.5 points, shooting efficiently from the floor. Mitchell scored 26 points in Game 2 and 29 in Game 1, but Cleveland’s defense has struggled to contain New York’s backcourt. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have complemented Towns effectively. Brunson dished 14 assists in Game 2, while Hart scored 26 points. The Knicks have shot above 48% from the field in both playoff contests. Cleveland’s supporting cast will need to step up. Evan Mobley contributed 14 points and 6 rebounds in Game 2, but the Cavaliers were outrebounded 44-34. James Harden added 18 points but shot just 5-of-14 from the field. The Cavaliers are hoping home court will shift momentum. Cleveland went 33-8 at Rocket Arena during the regular season, including a 109-94 win over the Knicks on Feb. 24. Saturday’s game tips off a stretch of four consecutive meetings between these teams. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday, May 25, also in Cleveland, before the series shifts back to New York. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. EDT.