Jalen Brunson scored 21 of his points in the fourth quarter Saturday, and the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals to move one win from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
The victory gave New York a 3-0 series lead and extended its postseason surge to 10 straight games. It also underlined how complete the Knicks have been in these playoffs: nine of their 11 wins have come by double digits, and their two losses were by a combined two points.
Mikal Bridges scored 22 points for New York, and OG Anunoby added 21 points and seven rebounds. Landry Shamet hit four 3-pointers, three of them in the second half, as the Knicks kept finding answers when Cleveland tried to chip away. The Cavaliers, by contrast, shot 12-for-41 from 3-point range and never fully recovered after the Knicks seized control late.
The result carried more weight because of the schedule grind each team had already absorbed. Cleveland had played 13 games since April 29, while New York had played eight in that same span. The Knicks were also the eighth team in NBA history to win five straight games in a single postseason by at least 10 points, and four of the previous eight teams to do that went on to win the NBA Finals.
Brunson said the edge comes from the way the roster works behind the scenes. “We have a bunch of individuals in that locker room who work really hard, and they're very psychotic about their work and things they do,” he said. He added, “When their number's called and when it's time to go, they're ready. A lot of real professionals on our roster.”
That depth has mattered because the Knicks have leaned on it all spring, even as minutes and matchups have shifted around the core. Josh Hart averaged 30.2 minutes per game this season after averaging a league-leading 37.6 minutes per game last season, a reminder of how the Knicks have tried to balance energy with the demands of a long playoff run.
Cleveland entered the series with a path that was supposed to be about one thing: getting to the NBA Finals while also managing the starters' workload and developing the bench. Instead, the Cavaliers now face the most unforgiving margin in basketball, because there is none left for a slip. New York has already shown it can close with speed, and Brunson's fourth-quarter burst left the Knicks looking like a team that expects to finish this before the calendar gives anyone else a say.
