Jalen Brunson scored 38 points and the New York Knicks erased a 22-point deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 19, 2026.
Cleveland built a 22-point lead early, but the Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 44-11 over the final 13 minutes, including a 30-8 run in the fourth quarter that forced overtime. New York also turned Cleveland’s late-game wobble into points — the Knicks scored 28 points off 19 Cavaliers turnovers — and closed the night with their eighth straight playoff win.
The box score underscored the swing. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 29 points, and Evan Mobley added 15. James Harden scored 15, Sam Merrill 12, Jarrett Allen 10 and Dean Wade 10. For New York, Mikal Bridges finished with 18, while Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 13.
The contrast in the final stretch was stark: the Cavs missed seven of 23 free throws and coughed up 19 turnovers as the Knicks clawed back. New York’s late barrage turned what had been a comfortable Cleveland advantage into a collapse that carried through overtime.
Context makes the result heavier. Cleveland entered the series having gone 1-2 against the Knicks in the 2025-26 regular season and had never beaten New York in a playoff series; before this round their all-time postseason record against the Knicks stood at 2-12. The Cavaliers also have shown the ability to recover from holes this spring — they dropped the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals before winning four of the final five — but Game 1 at Madison Square Garden exposed recurring issues that will need repair quickly.
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, at Madison Square Garden, listed with a tipoff time of 7 p.m. in one source and 8 p.m. in another. will televise the game nationally while Plus will stream it; listeners can follow the local radio broadcast on WTAM 1100-AM or WMMS 100.7-FM and the national broadcast on Radio. Neither the Cavaliers nor the Knicks listed any players on their injury report for Game 2.
The tension from Monday’s loss is simple and actionable: Cleveland managed the first three quarters well enough to build a 22-point cushion, but turnovers and poor free-throw shooting surrendered control. That combination — 19 giveaways and 7-of-23 foul shooting — erased a lead that should have put the Cavs in command of the series.
For New York, the momentum from an overtime recovery and eight consecutive postseason wins is real, and it centers on Brunson’s scoring outburst. The Knicks repeatedly turned Cavs mistakes into quick points, and New York’s depth — five players in double figures — tightened the screws when it mattered most.
The decisive question now is whether Cleveland can fix fundamentals that cost them Game 1. If the Cavs stop turning the ball over and improve their free-throw accuracy, they have the scorers — led by Mitchell’s 29 — to answer. If not, the Knicks’ resilience and Brunson’s scoring could carry New York to a series lead that will be hard for Cleveland to shake.
