New York comes back from 22 down in fourth to take Game 1 in OT behind 38 from Brunson
This was an epic Knicks comeback. It was also an epic Cavaliers collapse.
This will be remembered as one of the epic comebacks in the storied history of the New York Knicks. This will also be remembered as one of the epic collapses in a too-long history of collapses by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland took command of Game 1 in the second and third quarters, stretching their lead out to 22 on a James Harden free throw with 7:52 left in the fourth quarter.
From that point on (and including overtime), the Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 44-11, shooting 75% from the floor, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and Jalen Brunson scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting ā primarily attacking James Harden in isolation ā plus had four assists. Meanwhile, Cleveland shot 22. 2%, was 2-of-11 from 3, and turned the ball over six times.
BRUNSON SHINED IN NEW YORK'S 22-POINT COMEBACK WIN! 38 PTS (17 in Q4/OT) 5 REB 6 AST 3 STL KNICKS TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS pic. twitter.
com/e7JFHK20B3 ā NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2026 "I think the common denominator was us still believing in each other, us still playing, still fighting, just chipping away," Brunson said in his postgame TNT interview, after admitting he didn't know what happened in those final seven minutes. "Kept getting stops, kept running, got a couple lucky shots to go in, but we just kept fighting. " The result was a 115-104 overtime win that changed the entire tenor of this series and put New York up 1-0 at home, with Game 2 on Thursday in Madison Square Garden ā which was rockin' during the comeback.