New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (L) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday in New York. Photo by Olga Fedorova/EPA
Cleveland Cavaliers players said they embrace the adversity of the 0-2 hole they face against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Cavaliers shot just 38.8%, their second-worst mark this postseason, in a 109-93 Game 2 setback Thursday in New York. Their 93 points also were their second-fewest in 2025-26, including the regular season and playoffs.
Cleveland will now return home, where the team looks to regain momentum. The Cavaliers, who are 6-1 at home this postseason, will host the Knicks, who are 4-1 on the road, in Game 3 on Saturday.
“We like to keep things interesting,” Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen told reporters. “We like to keep everybody stressing about what the next game is going to be like. This is no different from what we’re doing now. We’ve got to take care of home court.”
Game 2 included six lead changes, all within the first 17 minutes, including five first-quarter swaps. The Knicks, who led by as many as 19 points, outscored the Cavaliers 58-40 in the paint and 13-8 off fast breaks. The Cavaliers made just 4 of their final 25 3-point attempts, a 16% clip.
“We just hit no shots,” said Cavaliers guard James Harden, who scored just six of his 19 points in the second half. “We had a lot of open shots. Make shots, hit a couple of those, win the ball game. Throughout the entire game, our process was right.
“I don’t know if it was tired legs, you know, whatever the case is going to be, but we had a lot of really good looks. It’s part of the game.”
Meanwhile, Knicks forward Josh Hart netted a playoff career-best 26 points, with five 3-pointers. He also chipped in seven assists and four rebounds to become the first player in Knicks history to record at least 25 points, five assists and five 3-pointers in a conference finals game.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns totaled 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson poured in 19 points, with 14 assists in the victory. Fellow Knicks guard Mikal Bridges also scored 19. Forward OG Anunoby made 5 of 8 shots for 14 points.
Guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points. Allen totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds in the setback.
“Nothing to hang our head about,” Mitchell said. “They protected home court. We’ve seen this before, so we’ve got to go get Game 3.”
The Cavaliers and Knicks will tip off Game 3 at 8 p.m. EDT Saturday at Rocket Arena. The Eastern Conference finals matchup will air on ABC. Game 4 will tip off at 8 p.m. Monday in Cleveland. That game will air on ESPN. Game 5, if necessary, will be Wednesday in New York.
“We’re ready to go for Game 3,” Mitchell said.
