Knicks take – Madison Square Garden turned into a celebration again as the New York Knicks dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, taking a 2-0 lead. Josh Hart delivered a playoff career-high 26 points, Jalen Brunson added 19 wit
Madison Square Garden didn’t just get loud — it got certain. On Thursday night, the Knicks did the work on the floor to back up the noise, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals to go up 2-0.
The scoreboard moved fast after halftime, but the night had already started with star power. Timothee Chalamet. who even skipped the Met Gala to cheer on the Knicks in the first game of the conference semifinals at MSG. returned for Game 2 and took pride of place on the arena’s famous Celebrity Row. Ben Stiller was also in attendance again. this time without the Met Gala backlash — he wasn’t shown repeating the earlier snub as he cheered on New York.
Chalamet wasn’t joined by girlfriend Kylie Jenner. but he was spotted chatting to Tracy Morgan. sitting a couple of seats down on Celebrity Row in head-to-toe Knicks blue and orange. Hart, meanwhile, drew animated energy from the stands. The Zoolander star was captured rising to his feet and applauding as the Knicks stormed into their dominant lead. while footage also showed him chatting with Tracy Morgan during the game.
The celebration didn’t stop there. Actors Jason Batman and Jason Sudeikis attended together, soaking up the night with their daughters. Martha Stewart and Mariska Hargitay — both in front-row seats — drew attention in a Knicks puffer jacket for Hargitay. US tennis icon John McEnroe was also among the celebrity crowd.
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg sat courtside. while the city’s current chief Zohran Mamdani chose a more understated approach from the nosebleed seats. Earlier in the day. Mamdani had announced a $50 World Cup ticket raffle for New York residents. and the mayor reportedly purchased his own ticket for the Game 2 showdown. The story around him didn’t arrive alone: Mamdani had been accused of curing the New York Mets after they slumped to a 12-game losing streak in MLB. following his appearance at a game and a meeting with mascots Mr and Mrs Met. On Thursday night, at least, the Knicks didn’t take a hit from any of that mythology.
On the court. the Knicks made the Cavaliers pay for every lapse — and for a third quarter that flipped the game in one stretch. Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points to spearhead the rout. Jalen Brunson added 19 points and 14 assists, while Mikal Bridges scored 19 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds. New York’s win was their ninth straight postseason victory. the longest postseason winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight on the way to the 2024 championship.
Two nights after rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter. the Knicks made sure the same kind of drama didn’t return. In the third quarter, they strung together an 18-0 run that put them ahead 71-53 with 5:36 remaining. The sequence started when the Cavaliers tied things up early in the period after making the first two baskets. only for Brunson to answer with a 3-pointer to begin the run. Brunson then added two more buckets in the burst. Hart hit two more 3-pointers — the latter capping the run to make it 71-53 with 5:36 left.
Cleveland’s comeback attempt arrived, but it never gained traction for long. After the Cavaliers scored five straight, Hart made another 3 and Towns scored to restore the 18-point advantage. With just under eight minutes left. the Cavaliers finally cut the deficit to single digits — but their opportunity vanished when they missed 10 free throws. finishing at 68.8 percent from the line. allowing the Knicks to push the lead back to 19.
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points for Cleveland, and James Harden added 18. Still, the Cavaliers are now staring at a 2-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight round. They’ll have to climb out again as they host Game 3 on Saturday.
Hart’s shooting had been under pressure early. He scored only two points in the first half. and after being benched for the rally in Game 1 and playing just three minutes combined in the fourth quarter and overtime. he returned to a Cavaliers plan that appeared to leave him open from long range. Hart finished 5 for 11 on 3-pointers after a rough start from deep: he had been shooting 26.7 percent from 3-point range and. early Thursday. after a third straight miss. he put his jersey in his mouth and bit it before bouncing the ball down hard in frustration three times. Then he kept firing.
Brunson’s scoring surge had its own sharp edge. Two nights earlier, he had led the Game 1 comeback with 38 points, and in Game 2 he made the run feel inevitable. Brunson had only two points in the first half. But once he found that first basket that broke open the game, his impact stayed with the Knicks.
The timing mattered too because Cleveland had its own moment of control earlier. Mitchell got off to a slow start with just seven points in the first half. sparking questions that followed Game 1 about whether he was injured. His 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left gave Cleveland a 27-24 lead after one. The Knicks led 53-49 at halftime, setting up a third quarter where momentum finally belonged to New York.
As the final whistle approached, the arena’s energy spilled into the stands — and beyond the building. Fans began chanting “Knicks in four!. Knicks in four!” in the final minute, long after the starters had gone to the benches. Outside the Garden. celebrations turned into mayhem on New York’s seventh and eighth avenues. with jubilant supporters hoisting each other into the air and letting chants ring as the party continued on the streets.
The Knicks are in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year. They haven’t played for the championship since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.
One game can shift expectations. Thursday night did more than that. It turned a postseason series into a statement — with Hart’s hot shooting, Brunson’s playmaking, and an 18-0 third-quarter run that left Cleveland chasing answers as Game 3 approaches.
New York Knicks Cleveland Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 Josh Hart Jalen Brunson Donovan Mitchell James Harden Madison Square Garden Timothee Chalamet Ben Stiller