Knicks vs. Cavs Game 2 takeaways: Jalen Brunson, Knicks finding ways to win

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are now two victories away from reaching their first NBA Finals in 27 years. The Knicks handled the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, May 21 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals , 109-93 , and they unlocked a different way to win: it was role players who carried the day. All five New York starters hit double-figures in scoring, with Josh Hart, who had struggled earlier this postseason, scoring a team-high 26 points.

Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges each scored 19, with Brunson notching a playoff career-high 14 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 18. Here are takeaways from Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals: In a dangerous sign for Cleveland, the Knicks are finding different ways to win Jalen Brunson was a perfect example of that.

After igniting in Game 1 for 38 points, the Cavaliers threw double-teams at him Thursday night, determined to make anyone but Brunson beat them. It didn’t work. Brunson responded with calm and poise and facilitated the offense, dishing out a playoff career-high 14 assists.

Some of that was by default; in the first half, his shot wasn’t dropping, and he headed into intermission just 1-of-6, with 2 points. At that point, however, he already did have 5 assists. Credit New York’s role players — Josh Hart chief among them — for draining shots when the ball found them, but Brunson masterfully leveraged Cleveland’s added pressure into easier offense for his teammates.