To say the Cleveland Cavaliers choked away Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals would possibly be a severe understatement. While it’s the goal of the road team in the playoffs to “steal” one of the first two games in the series, it’s the Knicks who pulled off the most unlikely of thefts.
After building a 22-point lead over the third and fourth quarters Tuesday night, May 19, the Cavaliers were outscored 44-11 over the final 13 minutes of the game and lost in overtime, 115-104. That includes a 30-8 run in the fourth quarter to force an extra five minutes.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 38 points in the improbable victory. The Knicks have now won eight straight games in the playoffs.
If the Cavs are going to even the series and recover from giving one away, they are going to have to take better care of the basketball. The Knicks scored 28 points off of 19 Cleveland turnovers in Game 1. The Cavs also missed seven of their 23 free throws.
Cleveland did drop the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-0 before winning four of the final five games.
However, doing that against the Knicks would be quite a feat as New York was winning its postseason matchups by an average of 26.4 points per game in the first two rounds.
Here’s more on Game 2 of the Knicks-Cavs series, including where to watch, odds, an updated bracket and schedule:
What time is the Cavaliers vs Knicks game tonight? NBA playoff schedule, start time
Game 2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks Eastern Conference finals series tips off at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at Madison Square Garden.
Where to watch Cavaliers vs Knicks: TV channel, stream
ESPN and ESPN Plus will air and stream tonight’s game. The streaming service, Fubo, also has ESPN and offers a free trial.
Stream the East finals on Fubo
Cavaliers vs Knicks odds: Who’s favored in Eastern Conference finals Game 2?
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
NBA playoff bracket 2026
Here’s a look at the 2026 NBA playoff bracket and results of every series so far in the postseason:
Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference first round
Eastern Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference finals
Western Conference
Western Conference first round
Western Conference semifinals
Western Conference finals
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NBA playoff TV schedule tonight, where to watch Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 2
Reporting by Emmett Prosser, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
