{"id":682341,"date":"2026-05-20T05:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/682341\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T05:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:30:12","slug":"jalen-brunson-leads-knicks-out-of-22-point-hole-to-stun-cavaliers-in-ot-take-1-0-lead-in-eastern-conference-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/682341\/","title":{"rendered":"Jalen Brunson leads Knicks out of 22-point hole to stun Cavaliers in OT, take 1-0 lead in Eastern Conference finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a nine-day break, the New York Knicks<\/a> looked extremely rusty Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n

Yet they came alive at just the right time.<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson<\/a> and the Knicks, after falling into a 22-point hole midway through the fourth quarter, rallied all the way back to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104<\/a> in overtime of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. That gave the Knicks a 1-0 lead in the series and pushed their win streak to eight.<\/p>\n

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It was the largest comeback playoff win in Knicks franchise history and the second-largest fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the play-by-play era.<\/p>\n

Brunson finished with 38 points and six assists in the win for the Knicks after shooting 15-of-29 from the field. He sparked the comeback in the fourth quarter almost single-handedly and helped power a 44-11 run to close out the contest.<\/p>\n

“We got some stops. We kept fighting and believing. We just kept chipping away,\u201d Brunson said on ESPN. \u201cThey were playing great basketball. We just found a way. I really don\u2019t have an answer.”<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 victory came just a day after the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 wild double-overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. This is now the first time in NBA history that both conference finals have opened with an overtime game.<\/p>\n

Knicks finally respond after slow start<\/p>\n

The Knicks led by as many as 11 in the first half and looked ready to run away with the game. Cleveland committed 11 turnovers in the first two quarters and looked flustered for a very long stretch. But just before halftime, the Cavs fought back and ended up taking a two-point lead at the break after a late 3-pointer from Donovan Mitchell<\/a>. The Knicks went just 2-of-19 from behind the arc in the first half, which didn\u2019t help matters.<\/p>\n

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The Knicks struggled to find any momentum after halftime, too. The Cavaliers took off in the third and seemed to be able to do just about anything they wanted with ease. They pushed their lead to 16 at its peak in the period, and the Knicks just couldn\u2019t keep up offensively. New York\u2019s shooting woes from behind the arc carried over, too, and the Knicks ended up only making six field goals in the third period. Cleveland dropped 35 points in the quarter despite making only four 3-pointers.<\/p>\n

The Cavaliers quickly pushed that lead to 22 in the fourth quarter after a clutch 3-pointer from Mitchell after the Knicks left him wide open. The game looked just about over.<\/p>\n

Finally, though, the Knicks made one last push \u2014\u00a0which came right as the Cavaliers hit a wall. They mounted an 18-1 push and cut the deficit to five points later in the fourth, all thanks to Brunson. He scored the last 11 points in that run, which forced a late Cavaliers timeout.<\/p>\n

Mikal Bridges<\/a> made it a one-possession game with 1:15 remaining with a corner 3-pointer, and then Landry Shamet<\/a> got one that tied up the game. While Sam Merrill<\/a> had a great look at a game-winner, he was off the mark. So the game went to overtime.<\/p>\n

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Whatever momentum the Cavaliers had in the second half was long gone. The Knicks scored the first nine points of the extra period, and the win was theirs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got a little unlucky, quite honestly,\u201d Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said<\/a>. \u201cBrunson obviously took over at the end. \u2026 I\u2019m super proud of the way our group played. We played great basketball tonight for three quarters. Unfortunately, fourth quarter, they dominated us in the fourth quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 29 points and five rebounds. He went 12-of-23 from the field. Evan Mobley<\/a> added 15 points and 14 rebounds, and James Harden<\/a> finished with 15 points after going 1-of-8 from behind the arc.<\/p>\n

Bridges had 18 points for the Knicks, and Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> had 13 points and 13 rebounds.<\/p>\n

While the Cavaliers nearly blew the Knicks out, they couldn\u2019t quite finish. The Knicks saw a window and took off, and they\u2019re now just three wins away from what would be their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.<\/p>\n

Follow along with Yahoo Sports as the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers tip off in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.<\/p>\n

Live coverage is over33 updatesTue, May 19, 2026 at 5:14 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 8:09 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 comeback from 22 points down was their largest in franchise playoff history. It was also one of the least likely in NBA playoff history.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 8:05 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

The Knicks closed the game with a 44-11 run to secure an all-time playoff comeback. Even Jalen Brunson, who finished with a game-high 38 points, struggled to explain how the Knicks pulled it off.<\/p>\n

“We got some stops,\u201d Brunson told ESPN after the game. \u201cWe kept fighting and believing. We just kept chipping away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were playing great basketball. We just found a way. I really don\u2019t have an answer.”<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 8:00 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

The Knicks rallied from a 22-point deficit with less than 8 minutes remaining in regulation and dominated overtime for a 115-104 win.<\/p>\n

Disaster for the Cavs. Elation for Madison Square Garden and the Knicks, who have a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:58 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

Per the ESPN broadcast, this would be the largest playoff comeback from a fourth-quarter deficit (22 points) since the 2012 postseason. The Knicks area 39.7 seconds away from doing so if they can hold onto a 113-104 lead.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:51 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

Landry Shamet just hit a 3, and New York\u2019s run to start overtime is at 9-0. The Knicks have turned a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit into a 110-101 lead with less than two minutes remaining in overtime.<\/p>\n

A remarkable rally has MSG on its feet and the Knicks on the cusp of a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:48 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

An OG Anunoby layup, a Jalen Brunson jumper and a pair of Anunoby free throws have the Knicks on top 107-101 nearly halfway through the overtime session.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:42 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

New York rallied from 22 down with less than 8 minutes remaining and tied the game at 101. The game\u2019s going to overtime after an unreal Knicks rally down the stretch.<\/p>\n

A would-be go-ahead Cavs 3 by Sam Merrill rattled in and out in the final seconds.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:39 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

Mikal Bridges has joined the party with a pair of 3s and Cleveland\u2019s lead is down to 99-96 with one minute remaining.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:32 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

The Knicks run is now 18-1 as Jalen Brunson has willed New York back into the game. A Brunson 3 cut the Cleveland lead to 94-89 with 3:30 remaining, and Madison Square Garden is on its feet.<\/p>\n

The Cleveland lead was 22 earlier in the fourth. Now it\u2019s down to five. Brunson has 34 points.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:30 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

New York\u2019s reeled off a 13-1 to cut into the lead, which remains in double-digits at 94-84 with less than five minutes remaining. The Cavs have missed 3 of 4 free throws. Cleveland\u2019s opening the door here.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:25 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

The Knicks came into Game 1 confident and rested, on a seven-game playoff win streak after demolishing the Hawks and 76ers.<\/p>\n

A Cavs team that just wrapped a seven-game series against the Pistons is dominating Game 1 and has sucked the life out of Madision Square Garden.<\/p>\n

Cleveland leads 93-76 with 6:41 remaining.<\/p>\n

\"JasonTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:16 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Jason Owens<\/p>\n

The Madison Square Garden crowd is lifeless, desperate for something to cheer for.<\/p>\n

Two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Knicks aren\u2019t offering anything as Cleveland\u2019s extended its lead to 85-69.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 7:08 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

Well, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers have completely taken over this game. They broke open a 16-point lead briefly and held the Knicks to just six made field goals in the third.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 6:58 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

This was way too easy for James Harden to reach the basket. The Cavaliers are up by 13 now late in the third.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 6:43 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

Well, the Cavs just silenced the Garden. They\u2019ve opened the third quarter on a 15-8 run and have taken a nine-point lead, their largest of the game. Donovan Michell is up to 22 points and six steals, too.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 6:37 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

Jarrett Allen just drilled Josh Hart hard as he was going up, and things got a bit heated under the rim. Nothing really came of the incident, but the call was overturned after a chalenge.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 6:25 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

The Knicks went just 2-of-19 from the 3-point line in the first half, too.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 6:13 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

The Cavaliers rallied back for their first lead since the opening minutes, and will now carry a two-point lead into the break after a late 3 from Donovan Mitchell. He\u2019s got 16.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 6:01 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

Well that didn\u2019t last long. A quick 8-0 burst from the Cavs, capped by a deep, contested 3 from James Harden has made this a 3-point game.<\/p>\n

\"RyanTue, May 19, 2026 at 5:59 PM PDT<\/p>\n

Ryan Young<\/p>\n

OG Anunoby\u2019s first made bucket of the night is a corner 3, and the Knicks are now up by double digits for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a nine-day break, the New York Knicks looked extremely rusty Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Yet…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":682342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,17603,23659,39603,146321,20455,1173,20449,12845,16113,12834,590,5548,158531,10549,85],"class_list":["post-682341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-donovan-mitchell","tag-evan-mobley","tag-fourth-quarter","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-james-harden","tag-karl-anthony-towns","tag-knicks","tag-landry-shamet","tag-mikal-bridges","tag-nba","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-sam-merrill","tag-san-antonio-spurs","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=682341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/682342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=682341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=682341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=682341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}