Karl-Anthony Towns will start for the New York Knicks when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, May 21, 2026; tipoff is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. New York opened as a 5.5-point home favorite with -205 moneyline odds while Cleveland was a +170 underdog.
Town’s influence was obvious in Game 1: he finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes as the Knicks rallied for a 115-104 overtime win. The line score only tells part of the story — Towns has pushed himself into a primary facilitation role in these playoffs, leading New York with 6.5 assists per game before Game 2 after averaging 3.0 assists per game in the regular season.
That uptick is not a one-off. Towns had recorded at least five assists in eight straight games entering Game 2, and his playmaking ascension stretches back to the opening round, when he produced a 20-point triple-double in Game 4 against the Hawks. DraftKings Network highlighted a five-assist prop for Towns heading into Game 2, and projection pages have picked up on the change: Establish The Run listed the Knicks’ projected starters on May 21 as Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Analysts have been specific about how Towns’ new role should play out in Madison Square Garden. Cooper Albers said, "Matched up against last season’s Defensive Player of the Year in Evan Mobley, Towns should continue embracing his facilitator role and record five or more assists once again in Game 2 at The Garden." Those projections also feed into betting markets: Establish The Run put the Knicks’ team total at 111.5 and Cleveland’s at 105 on May 21.
Context matters here. The Knicks reached Game 2 off a late comeback in Game 1, and the matchup sets Towns against Evan Mobley, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year. RotoWire noted contributors on both sides who could swing the night: OG Anunoby was averaging 20.4 points in the playoffs, while RotoWire also flagged Evan Mobley’s 4.6 assists per game over his last nine games dating back to Round 1 — a reminder that Cleveland can move the ball and create scoring chances for others.
The tension is straightforward: Towns has become a passer in these playoffs, but he will be asked to do it against a defense that expects him to. Atkinson put the pressure plainly after Game 1 when he said, "they dominated us in the fourth quarter." Brown, commenting on Towns’ Game 1 double-double, added, "KAT’s double-double was big time for them" and said of the matchup, "it was no secret." Those comments underline the simple contradiction here — New York is leaning on Towns as a playmaker, and Cleveland knows it must disrupt him.
The immediate stakes are also concrete. Game 2 at 8:10 p.m. ET can hand the Knicks a 2-0 lead in the series at home or give Cleveland a chance to even things before the teams travel. If karl anthony towns continues to operate as the Knicks’ primary facilitator and hits five or more assists again, the Knicks should be able to keep their offense clicking through Brunson, Bridges and Anunoby. If Cleveland contains his passing lanes and forces New York into isolation scoring, the series balance shifts quickly.
Conclusion: this series will hinge on whether Towns sustains the playmaking spike that has defined New York’s playoff run; repeat performances as a distributor will not only validate the adjustment from his regular-season numbers but also change how the Cavaliers must defend the Garden. The simple truth heading into Game 2 is that the Knicks’ offense runs differently when Towns is creating — and whoever stops that will decide the night.
