Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson lead the way as Knicks win 9th straight playoff game on Wednesday to take 2-0 series lead.
Spinning & winning.
Josh Hart’s bounce-back shooting in Game 2 lifts the Knicks to a 2-0 lead — and their ninth straight Playoff win, just the 13th team to ever hit that mark.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Nine For New York: Knicks win ninth straight this postseason as starters combine for 96
Hart Of The Matter: Josh Hart rallies from Game 1 struggles to lead Knicks to 2-0 edge
Calm Amid The Storm: SGA’s Playoff poise, OKC’s answers and crucial Game 3 tonight
Jackals Await: West Finals return to San Antonio, where Wemby is redefining Spurs fandom
X-Factors: Why Castle’s versatility and Hartenstein’s interior presence could be key in Game 3
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The West Finals shift to San Antonio after thrilling play in OKC has the series deadlocked at 1-1. Who takes control tonight?
Awards Time: Tune in before the game for the unveiling of the 2025-26 All-Defensive Teams and the NBA Social Justice Champion (7:30 ET, Peacock).
1. KNICKS SHARE SCORING LOAD, SPRINT AHEAD LATE FOR 2-0 LEAD
18-1: The Game 1 4th-quarter rally that helped deliver the Knicks’ largest Playoff comeback.
18-0: The Game 2 roll that launched New York to a 2-0 series lead.
Knicks 109, Cavaliers 93: Josh Hart’s Playoff career-high 26 points led the Knicks, who got 96 combined points from five starters in double figures, for a ninth straight Playoff win.
Following his 38-point comeback heroics Tuesday, Jalen Brunson (19 pts) distributed a Playoff career-high 14 assists. Mikal Bridges matched his 19 points, Karl-Anthony Towns stacked up 18 points and 13 boards, and OG Anunoby supplied 14 with three blocks.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 26 points, with James Harden adding 18. Cleveland heads home for Game 3 Saturday, looking to climb back from a 2-0 deficit for a second straight series. | Recap
JB Adjusts: A back-and-forth 1st half closed with New York up 4, 53-49. Cleveland keyed on Brunson, limiting him to fewer points (2) than assists (5) in his lowest scoring half of the Playoffs
Still A Spark: After Cleveland’s 4-0 start to the 2nd half tied the game, Brunson again changed the story, igniting another 18-point Knicks run by sinking his first 3 and piling up seven quick points
Hart took over from there, drilling two triples and scoring the final 7 points in the stretch, where he provided half of New York’s points for a 71-53 lead. Read on for more from his key performance in Section 2 ⬇️
Closing Time: After that near-5-minute scoreless span (0-9 FG), Cleveland’s 8-0 start to the 4th cut the lead down to 7. That’s where Brunson shined, netting 10 points in New York’s 24-15 closeout
“Our offense … the way we were able to play in transition, was a credit to our defense,” Brunson said of the turning point. “We were able to get stops, run and get easy baskets.”
Those easy baskets gave the Knicks a 13-8 edge in fastbreak points, in their 4th-best assist night of the postseason (32). Nearly half came from Brunson, whose 14 were the most by a Knicks player in a Playoff game since 1998.
“Ever since I’ve known him, he played the right way,” Bridges said of Brunson’s Game 2 pivot. “If you’re gonna keep helping off, he’s gonna make you pay, and that’s what makes him great.”
The Knicks’ nine straight Playoff wins are a franchise record, and surpass OKC’s 8-0 start to lead this postseason. They’re just the 13th team in NBA history to achieve a 9+ game win streak in a single postseason
New York’s 122.3 ppg during the win streak make this the highest-scoring 9-game Playoff win streak ever, outpacing the 2016-17 Warriors and 1981-82 Lakers. Both of those teams won the NBA title
The Cavs are tied for the best home record this postseason (6-1) and will look to lean on that in Game 3 Saturday (8 ET, ABC).
2. CHANGE OF HART: JOSH HART FINDS STROKE, FUELS WIN
Landry Shamet had a hot hand.
He rode with four Knicks starters down the stretch in Game 1, and it paid off, dropping the game-tying, comeback-completing triple.
Making room in that rotation for Shamet was Josh Hart, after an 0-for-4 1st half from distance.
Thursday’s Game 2 saw a similar start for Hart in his first three triple attempts.
“Those first three, they felt good. And I was kinda frustrated with it cause I’ve been putting in the reps,” Hart said postgame … “It’s not translating right now.”
The fix? “I knew I had to just keep shooting, and if I did that, I’ll be good.”
Hart’s “good” was great the rest of the way, drilling five of his next eight 3s to lead New York with his Playoff career-high 26 points
With NY’s Finest: He became just the third player in Knicks history to log 25+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ 3PM in a Conference Finals game, joining Jalen Brunson and John Starks
For Hart, the flip was about humility.
“I’m a servant to these guys,” he said postgame … “I don’t have an ego. That got burned out my heart a long time ago.”
“I try to play with more joy but more grace,” Hart continued. “I kick myself probably a little bit too much … So I started to learn … not to try to be perfect, and I’m happy with that.”
Back On Track: Hart had improved on his Game 1 outing by halftime of Game 2, sinking two 1st-half triples on the way to 12 points
On The Attack: He then doubled his output in the pivotal 3rd quarter, going 3-for-3 from deep to collect 12 more points, with the Knicks in control for good
“He’s a gamer,” coach Mike Brown said of Hart. “If his feet are set and [Cleveland] wants to play in the paint, shoot it and we’ll figure out the rest.”
“His confidence is not gonna waver,” said Brown. “He’s gonna put pressure on himself to take that next one and make that next one.”
That pressure elevates his teammates, too.
“When he goes out there, he’s hustling, he’s playing that hard … you feel like you’ve got to match that intensity,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It brings our whole group up.”
Hart sees those qualities reflected across his locker room, along with a willingness to sacrifice to better the team.
“We don’t really care who gets the shine, the shots, the minutes … we’re focused on winning,” said Hart. “When you have a group of guys that do that, sky’s the limit.”
3. HOW OKC HAS TAKEN ON SGA’S PLAYOFF POISE
WCF Game 3 Tonight (8:30 ET, NBC/Peacock): Thunder at Spurs (series tied 1-1)
OKC’s 10-point lead had suddenly dwindled to five. There was less than a minute left in Game 2 of the West Finals, and the pressure inside Paycom Center was rising.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander never seemed to notice.
With no hesitation, the Kia MVP gathered the ball, created space and stepped back from 19 feet. Cash. Patented SGA. A season-shifting shot. Yet it looked almost routine.
He turned upcourt and gestured toward his teammates. Calm down.
“He doesn’t need any help being confident,” said Alex Caruso of SGA’s clutch bucket. “That’s what he does … especially late in the game …
“We know he’s getting the ball. They know he’s getting the ball, and we want him to shoot.”
In the Thunder’s biggest pressure spot of the postseason, their superstar’s poise spread throughout the roster.
After storming through the first two rounds at 8-0, OKC suddenly faced the possibility of a 2-0 hole at home – a deficit no Conference Finals team has overcome.
Yet with the stakes rising and the Spurs’ momentum building, the Thunder responded the same way SGA – the Kia Clutch POY – always seems to:
Composed. Confident. And in complete form.
From The Jump: After a heartbreaking double-OT Game 1 loss, OKC’s defense set the tone in Game 2, outscoring San Antonio 16-5 in points off turnovers in the 1st half – an 11-point edge that mirrored the Thunder’s 11-point halftime lead
Star Spark: After a Spurs run cut the lead to one in the 3rd, Chet Holmgren helped swing momentum back with 7 points in a 1:37 stretch, as he and SGA (9 pts) combined for 16 points in the period
Complete Close: SGA added 9 more in the 4th, where eight different Thunder scored, including 14 of OKC’s 34 points coming from the bench. By night’s end, the reserves had erupted for a Playoff-high 57
Weathering The Storm: The complete performance was the latest example of what has become a defining trait of OKC’s rise: when adversity hits, the Thunder strike back.
OKC has now won nine straight games following a Playoff loss, the 4th-longest streak in the last 30 years.
The only teams with more? LeBron James’ Heat, Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and the ‘08 & ‘09 Celtics – all champions during those runs.
Heat From 2012-14 Playoffs: 2012, 2013 NBA champions 🏆🏆
Celtics, ‘08 & ‘09 Playoffs: 2008 NBA champions 🏆
Lakers, ‘08 & ‘09 Playoffs: 2009 NBA champions 🏆
Thunder, ‘24 Playoffs thru present: 2025 NBA champions 🏆❓
OKC’s consistency after setbacks hasn’t just defined its postseason play – it’s become one of the driving forces behind the Thunder’s sustained dominance.
Across the last two seasons (regular season & Playoffs), OKC is 33-7 (.825) following losses — the 7th-best two-year winning percentage in NBA history, and the 2nd-best since 2000.
And it starts with Shai.
“There’s no panic,” said Caruso of SGA & OKC’s mindset after a loss. “It’s a series for a reason. You gotta lace ‘em up and play the next game …
“That mentality – from our whole team, but really from him – it doesn’t change with the moment.”
4. WCF HIT SAN ANTONIO, WHERE WEMBY IMPACTS ON AND OFF COURT
“I clap twice, and after that, you clap.” – Victor Wembanyama, on a side project.
There’s a new dimension to the Playoff atmosphere in San Antonio, which hosts its first West Finals game since 2017 tonight (8:30 ET, NBC/Peacock).
They’re called “The Jackals,” a section of Spurs superfans channeling the European sports fanaticism Wembanyama grew up with.
And as The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes, Wemby’s had a hand in everything from the inspiration and name, to the captains and clap routine:
“Wembanyama taught them a call-and-response clap routine, something that he would often see at PSG games as a kid — and a routine Spurs rival Oklahoma City Thunder does before its games now …
They have become more than just a staple of the Spurs’ gameday experience, a fascination of TV broadcasters and fans around the world. They are a fixture of the San Antonio community, just as Wembanyama intended …
The Spurs are intertwined with the city’s identity at a level few professional franchises can be. Wembanyama and his Jackals are trying to make anyone in San Antonio feel like they deserve their own fan section.” | Read More
5. X-FACTORS: CASTLE & HARTENSTEIN MAKING THEIR MARK
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama stand at the center of the West Finals.
But the ultimate team game demands impact from everywhere on a stage like this. And through two games, a pair of difference-makers have helped shape the series.
Stephon Castle, a rising star in his own right, has helped to drive San Antonio’s backcourt amid mounting injuries
Isaiah Hartenstein, an 8-year vet, has helped stabilize OKC’s interior with his two-way energy
Beyond His Years: Castle, the former Kia ROY, has blossomed into a centerpiece in Year 2, forming a three-headed monster in San Antonio’s backcourt alongside De’Aaron Fox and rookie Dylan Harper.
But with Fox (ankle) sidelined for Games 1 & 2 and Harper (adductor) exiting Wednesday with an injury, even more responsibility has fallen on the 21-year-old guard in the West Finals.
He’s answered the call by attacking OKC’s relentless perimeter pressure, adding a constant stream of energy and impacting the game on both ends.
Iron vs. Iron: OKC has forced Castle into 20 turnovers, but he’s answered with production across the board, averaging 21 pts, 5.5 reb and 9.5 ast this series — plus the potential Dunk of the Playoffs
Rising Up: With Fox out and Harper exiting Game 2, Castle took on even more responsibility and responded with history (25 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast), becoming the youngest player ever to post 25/5/5 in a Conference Finals game
Both Ends: He’s made his mark defensively, too, ranking top-10 in DefRtg this postseason (104.5), while logging the most minutes of any Spurs defender vs. SGA (14:18)
“He’s a warrior,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson of Castle’s effort in Game 2. “[He’s] a helluva creator, and we gotta continue to help him, as he’s asked to guard on one end and then create that much … that’s quite an output energy-wise.”
More To Come?: With Fox and Harper both questionable for Game 3, San Antonio may once again lean heavily on Castle’s all-around game
For OKC, Hartenstein’s two-way impact started with a realization after Monday’s double-OT loss – one that helped reshape the Thunder’s approach in Game 2, writes NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt:
“A box score doesn’t reveal everything.
But as Thunder coach Mark Daigneault perused the box score from San Antonio’s Game 1 double-overtime victory on Monday, a number gnawed at him: Isaiah Hartenstein’s minutes played …
Daigneault pulled Hartenstein aside at practice on Tuesday.
“He kind of apologized, but it was more like, ‘Hey, just be ready. Your number’s going to be called more, and we’re going to try to do something different.’ ” | Read More
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