Cavaliers vs Knicks Recap: Knicks Run Past Cavs in Game 2

The Cavaliers brought fire from the opening tip. Evan Mobley got rolling early, hitting a three-pointer at 11:04, then another at 9:44. Cleveland jumped out to a 8-5 lead and wouldn't go away quietly. The Knicks answered back though. Karl-Anthony Towns buried a three at 11:25. Josh Hart threw down a layup. Mikal Bridges found his stroke. But here's where things got wild—James Harden fired a stepback three-pointer at 8:40, pushing Cleveland ahead 13-7. The teams traded buckets back and forth like a ping-pong match. By the end of the first quarter, Donovan Mitchell nailed a stepback three with just 0.7 seconds left, giving Cleveland a 27-24 edge. New York had to respond. The first quarter showed both teams ready to battle hard in this conference finals matchup.

The second quarter belonged to New York. Josh Hart caught fire, hitting fadeaways and jumpers. Mikal Bridges was unstoppable too—he buried back-to-back jumpers at 7:27 and 6:16, pushing the Knicks ahead 36-34. The lead kept changing hands. James Harden answered with a three-pointer at 5:59 to tie it up 36-36. But the Knicks kept attacking. Hart launched a three-pointer at 3:27 to push New York ahead 45-40. OG Anunoby followed with a stepback jumper at 1:31 to extend it to 50-45. Cleveland fought back—Harden hit another three at 2:22—but the Knicks closed the half stronger. By halftime, New York led 53-49. The momentum was shifting toward the home team at Madison Square Garden.

The third quarter was pure Josh Hart magic. He launched three-pointers and they kept going in. At 9:49, Hart threw down a dunk. At 6:46, he buried a three. At 5:35, another three splashed through the net. At 3:57, another one. Hart was on fire, pushing New York ahead 74-58. The Knicks' lead ballooned to 21 points at one stretch. Cleveland kept fighting though. Donovan Mitchell hit jumpers. Jarrett Allen grabbed rebounds and scored inside. But it was too late. New York had built a commanding cushion heading into the fourth quarter leading 85-70. In the fourth, the Knicks closed it out. Jalen Brunson sealed things with a layup at 1:21, making it 109-91. Final score: New York 109, Cleveland 93. The Knicks took a 2-0 series lead and moved one win closer to the Finals.