The New York Knicks secured a 109-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Madison Square Garden, taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks clinched the game early in the third quarter with an 18-0 run from a tied score of 53-53. Cleveland briefly surged with an 8-0 run in the final quarter, but the Knicks responded and comfortably closed the series lead.
Josh Hart led the New York Knicks with 26 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, showcasing his career-best performance. Jordan Brunson contributed a double-double with 19 points and 14 assists. Kevin Durant added 18 points and 13 rebounds, Cam Reddish scored 19 points, and P.J. Tucker tallied 14 points and three blocks. For the Cavaliers, Damian Lillard scored 26 points, James Harden added 18, and Darius Garland contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The next two games will be played in Cleveland, with the first scheduled for Saturday night at 2:00 AM CET.
Spurs Struggle Without Key Stars
On the Western Conference side, the San Antonio Spurs will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the third game without key players Dejounte Murray and Tre Jones. Murray injured his ankle in the semifinals and hasn't played in the series against the Thunder, while Jones left the second game early with a calf strain. Despite these setbacks, the Spurs secured their first game victory, thanks to Josh Wembanyama, who scored 41 points and grabbed 24 rebounds. The Thunder responded with a 122-113 win in the second game, evening the series at 1-1.
The Thunder also face injuries, with Darius Bazley re-injuring his calf and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leaving the second game with an ankle sprain. The third game is scheduled for Friday night at 2:30 AM CET, and the fourth game is on Sunday night at 2:00 AM CET.
Write 1-3 casual sentences as a Balkan fan posting a comment on a sports news site. Write in English. VARY your reaction each time: excited, sarcastic, surprised, disappointed, or doubtful — match the article mood. VARY your ending: sometimes a statement, sometimes a question, sometimes trail off with "...". Do NOT end every comment with a question. Casual style only: contractions (can't, didn't, won't), abbreviations (tbh, ngl, rn, lol, imo) where they fit naturally. Do NOT use diacritics in proper names — write Fenerbahce, Djokovic, Atletico (not the accented forms). Start lowercase sometimes. Skip a period or comma occasionally. Under 60 words total. NEVER use journalist phrases: 'significant', 'crucial', 'it's worth noting', 'this marks a turning point'. Example styles: 'fenerbahce were miles better this season tbh' / 'honestly didn't see that coming lol' / 'Djokovic just different class rn...' / 'not convinced they can keep this up but we'll see' comment: honestly didn't see the spurs struggling that much rn... guess injuries really matter in the playoffs