Knicks Lay Hammer Down; Take 3-0 Lead in ECF. NY 121 Cleveland 108

May 24, 2026 LouV 2025-26 0
Landry Shamet hit 3 straight 3's in the 4th to push the Knick lead to the mid teens. Mikal Bridges was 11-15 from the floor for 22 pts. Both played great D as did the entire Knick team. Photo courtesy NY Knicks.

The Knicks came out with fervor and single-mindedness and took it to the Cavs from start to finish, beating them soundly 121-108 in Cleveland on a Saturday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

NY used Defense, steals, fast breaks, precision passing, and rhythm 3’s to dominate the game to the point where the Cavs gave up in the final minutes — the whole team left standing there as Jalen Brunson deked and waltzed around flat-footed defenders for an easy layup — a play that went viral.

  • Landy Shamet came off the bench to hit back-breaking, killer 3’s (3 straight 3’s early in the 4th quarter and 4-5 from 3 on the evening) and play tremendous defense on Donovan Mitchell;
  • Mikal Bridges played an amazing all-around game with 22 pts on 11-15 shooting, 3 steals and 2 blocks;
  • OG Anunoby was a killer on the other wing (21 pts on 6-10 shooting, 3-4 from 3, 7 rebounds, 4 assists);
  • Jalen Brunson scored and scored whenever the Knicks needed more scoring — finishing with 30 pts on 10-19 shooting with 6 assists;
  • Josh Hart didn’t quite hit his shot (2-7 from 3; 5-12 overall for 12 pts) but was a terror on defense and running the break (4 steals);
  • Karl-Anthony Towns dominated inside and played tremendous defense (13 pts, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block).
  • Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Clarkson excelled off the bench.

But most importantly the individual stats meant nothing as the Knicks played like a gloved hand — defending then passing, passing, passing to the open man all night making the game look easy, and hitting open, rhythm 3’s — when they weren’t stealing the ball again and running the break.

“Landry was huge and then on the other end of the floor, he’s got to match up with a guy like Donovan Mitchell, which is a tough cover for anybody,” said coach Mike Brown afterwards.

“He’s my dog,” added Josh Hart about Shamet. “Big shots, amazing defense…he’s a heck of a player.”

“We came out with energy…we came out aggressive and set a tone from the jump,” added Hart.

1. Knicks Jump Out to 9-1 Lead

The Knicks had a 2-0 game lead in the series but knew if they lost this game the momentum would shift — so came out putting the pedal to the metal.

Karl-Anthony Towns hit a 3 at the start, Mikal Bridges stole the ball from James Harden and scored on a drive, Jalen Brunson scored on a drive off a KAT assist, and Josh Hart ripped down a rebound off an Evan Mobley miss and fed Bridges for a drive and 9-1 Knick lead. Cavaliers time out.

2. Knicks Lead 37-27 After 1

Cleveland answered by pulling back within 10-9 but the Knicks pushed the lead to 10 pts by end of the quarter as KAT kept powering to the bucket — 4 drives near the end of the period — 2 drives resulting in free throws (he made 4-4) and 2 resulting in buckets.

Both teams were hitting 3’s early — Landry Shamet hit a 3; Max Strus answered with a 3; Miles McBride hit a 3; Dennis Schroder answered with a 3; Josh Hart answered that with a 3 and NY had a 37-27 lead after 1.

3. Cleveland Ties Game in 2nd, But Knicks Take 60-54 Lead at Half

The Cavs pulled back into the game on their home court at the start of the 2nd quarter. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were getting buckets inside, Jaylon Tyson scored on a drive-and-1, and James Harden was showing life — playing much better defense than he had the prior game, and penetrating the lane and scoring buckets.

  • A Harden drive pulled Cleveland within 43-41.
  • A Harden 3 on next possession pulled the Cavs within 45-44.
  • OG hit a 3, but consecutive buckets by Jarrett Allen and Harden tied the game at 48-48.
  • OG hit free throws but a Harden 10 footer tied the game at 50-50.
  • Cleveland’s Dean Wade missed a 3 that would have given Cleveland a lead.

Brunson Takes Over

And then just when the Knicks were looking a little stuck on offense — Jalen Brunson took over.

  • Brunson hit a runner;
  • Josh Hart hit a drive off an OG assist; then
  • Brunson hit a 12-footer from the right baseline and NY was up 56-51 with 1:59 left in the half.
  • Donovan Mitchell missed 2 free throws and Josh Hart hit an 8-footer in the lane and NY was up 58-51.

Brunson had 21 pts in the 1st half.

NY went up 60-51 off OG free throws; a Donovan Mitchell 3 near the buzzer pulled Cleveland within 60-54 at intermission.

4. Bridges Stars at Start of 3rd; Brunson Stars at End; NY Up 91-82

The two teams threw haymakers at each other to start the 3rd quarter — Cleveland desperate to take command of the game, get the fans going, and win this one in their home arena.

OG hit a 3 to start the 3rd; Evan Mobley answered with a 3; Jalen Brunson hit a 14-footer; Donovan Mitchell answered with a 14-footer. NY 65 Cleveland 59.

Knick Defense Bites — and Bridges Is Everywhere

And then the Knick defense got to work — causing turnovers and fast breaks — and at the front of it: Mikal Bridges.

  • Josh Hart stole the ball from James Harden and fed Bridges for a drive.
  • Two possessions later KAT fed Bridges for a drive.
  • On next possession KAT stole the ball inside, fed OG who thread the needle on a pass to Bridges for a bucket and 71-64 Knick lead.

“Mikal Bridges truly understands the art of moving without the ball leading to easy buckets along with using screens on one end while hedging over screens on other end,” noted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines. “Also, defends hard ,causes deflections all while playing to his strengths, shooting with confidence and competing.”

  • KAT scored inside off an offensive rebound, then fed Bridges for another bucket after a DMitchell score.

More Brunson at End of 3rd

Max Strus hit a 3 to pull Cleveland within 75-69 — but again Brunson went to work when NY needed more scoring — free throws off a drive, a pass to OG for a dunk inside, and a drive to give NY a 12-pt lead at 81-69.

Brunson scored next time down to give NY an 83-70 lead, hit 2 free throws after that, scored on another drive, and finished the quarter with an alley-oop pass to Mitchell Robinson for a slam and 91-82 Knick lead.

5. Shamet Killer 3’s Put NY Up by 14 Early in 4th

Josh Hart — who hadn’t quite been hitting his 3 but was playing great ball 0therwise — hit a 3 to start the 4th and give NY a 94-82 lead.

Hart then Ripped down a rebound and fed Bridges for a drive and 14-pt Knick lead.

Sam Merrill — who had hit a 3 near end of the 3rd — hit another 3 to pull Cleveland back within 11. Any Knick fan watching had to be worried about Merrill getting hot.

But then Landry Shamet took over — responding to Merrill’s 3 with a 3 of his own, and then hitting another 3 next time down. And then hitting another 3 next time down after that — 3 straight 3’s and a 105-91 Knick lead with 7:14 left.

The Knicks pushed the lead to 17 pts on an OG 3 with 5:30 left.

6. Knicks Take MOJO Out of Cavs At End

Donovan Mitchell answered with a 3 and Evan Mobley scored a bucket inside to pull Cleveland back within 12 with 4:19 left — but NY kept pushing back, maintaining their 12-14 pt lead.

When Jalen Brunson did a head fake one way and drove to the basket the other way — leaving Jarrett Allen and the entire Cleveland offense stationary — it looked like Cleveland had given up on the game and the series. The clip went viral.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401873343

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