Game Recap: 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3 – NYK at CLE; W; NYK: 121, CLE: 108
With a 121-108 victory in Cleveland, the Knicks are one win from the NBA Finals. No NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit, and the Knicks, winners of 10 straight playoff games, do not plan to become the first. The only “first” this team seeks is the franchise’s first NBA Finals berth since 1999.
As of yesterday, this Knicks team hadn’t lost a game in a month. Today, they have extended that streak beyond 30 days with their 10th straight postseason win. Let that sink in for a minute: In the NBA Playoffs, the highest level of basketball, the Knicks have won 10 straight contests.
Of the eight NBA teams that have achieved playoff win streaks of 10+ games, seven have gone on to win the championship, including, most recently, the 2024 Boston Celtics. But here’s the difference: The Knicks’ +234 point differential this postseason is the highest by any NBA playoff team in history.
Also, during their 10-game win streak, the Knicks have a +225 scoring margin, the highest by any team in a 10-game span, regular season or postseason.
And, unlike other seasons, every player is contributing. It isn’t just Jalen Brunson and Co. anymore. Once the Atlanta Hawks realized how predictable a Brunson-oriented offense was, Mike Brown knew something had to change. After the Knicks lost on April 23, Brown transformed them into an offensive juggernaut across the starters and bench.
“We won all these games in a row as a team,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We’ve had this winning streak as a team. We’ve found these ways to get these great wins. Even down 22 in Game 1, we came back as a team. As long as we stay together, stay unified, we feel — we always have felt — the sky is the limit for us.”
Brunson scored a team-high 30 points last night, but Mikal Bridges added 22 and OG Anunoby 21. Off the bench, Landry Shamet went 4-for-5 from three-point range, scoring 14 points. His best moment came with 9:15 left in the fourth quarter, when he drained three straight triples.
Bridges slumped through the early part of the Knicks’ first-round series against Atlanta, including a game in which he couldn’t find the hoop. But in this series, he has shot with extraordinary efficiency, averaging 20.3 points per game while shooting at 71%. It wasn’t long ago when I was calling for the Knicks to remove Bridges from the starting lineup, but clearly I was wrong.
“His feel is unbelievable,” Browns said of Bridges. “He’s just got a good feel. He’s doing that on his own. He’s picking and choosing where to go, just like he’s picking and choosing when to look for his shot.”
Bridges’s success in this series has partially been due to his matchup against the slower James Harden. Bridges dominated Tyrese Maxey in the Knicks’ last series against Philadelphia, and now, he practically owns Harden. He has held him to 17 points per game this series on 41.3% shooting.
“Experience helps a lot,” Bridges said. “At all levels, especially getting here [to the conference finals] last year. Just knowing what it takes, especially losing it, too. Learning from that. That always sticks with you. It helps you know you’ve got to be really grateful to be in these moments.
“Don’t take it for granted, and take [it] every possession by possession. And don’t skip a possession, don’t skip a play. Go out there and give it all you’ve got because it’s not easy to get here, and you’re not going to get here all the time.”
Not long ago, and even throughout much of the regular season, Bridges didn’t play like he was worth five first-round picks. But now, he has turned that narrative around. Also, Bridges has valuable playoff experience, both at the NCAA level and in the NBA, reaching the finals with Phoenix in 2021.
Meanwhile, Anunoby has clearly recovered from his tweaked hamstring. He played 30 minutes last night, the fewest among Knicks starters, but his 21 points and seven rebounds were significant. A couple of days ago, the NBA announced that Anunoby had been named to the Second Team All-Defense.
Towns felt Anunoby deserved more credit for his excellent defense this season: “He’s one of the best defenders in the world, and he got robbed from [First Team],” Towns expressed as he and Anunoby left the postgame podium.
In addition to his 13 points and eight rebounds, Towns recorded a team-high seven assists yesterday. With a team-best +23 rating, he helped the Knicks control the pace of play as they dominated Cleveland in transition with a 17-4 fastbreak points advantage. Brown called Towns the Knicks’ “hub offensively.”
“We do a great job of adjusting as the game goes along,” said Towns, who struggled in Game 1 but has adapted to a new game plan as this series has continued. “I have to always be able to adapt to what the game needs from me to win the game.
“In the first half, it needed me to be a scorer, very aggressive, get to the basket, shoot the ball well, and get points. Second half, they adjusted, we adjusted, and I had to adjust. The adjustment was more [about] being the hub, making the right passes, getting my teammates involved.”
From the opening quarter, in which the Knicks scored 37 points, to their defense standing still on a Brunson basket with 1:49 remaining in regulation, the Cavaliers showed they lack the wherewithal to come back in this series. They are physically and mentally exhausted. The tank is empty.
On Monday, the Knicks can make history. They can sweep back-to-back series, win their 11th straight playoff game, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years.
They are one win away. Just one win!
Game 4 at Rocket Arena is scheduled for Monday, 5/25 at 8 PM (ESPN, ESPN App).
