After an Eastern Conference final Game 1 that went into overtime, the New York Knicks handled Game 2 with much more aplomb. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 and never lost real control of the game.
Despite that, New York heads to Cleveland as underdogs for Game 3. The Cavs are 2.5-point favorites with a 55.75 percent implied likelihood of winning. So yeah, it’s close, but another clue that these teams are more evenly matched than the hype would have us believe — or the odds just aren’t sure yet.
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The series odds, however, tell a different story, with the Knicks now favored at -800 to advance to the NBA Finals.
Can Cleveland strike back in Game 3?
Game 3: Knicks at Cavaliers
TV: ABC
Time: 8 p.m. ET, Saturday
Series odds: Knicks -800, Cavaliers +575
The first half of Game 2 stayed close between the two teams, with both stars, Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson, fairly quiet. Then, in the third quarter, the Knicks went on an 18-0 run in around four minutes and never really looked back.
It was Josh Hart who really put on the show for New York Thursday night. With Brunson bottled up by the Cavs defense, Hart stayed dogged on offense and claimed a team-high 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting and 5-of-11 from 3, thanks in part to Cleveland leaving him open again and again.
Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 18 points and 13 boards, and Mikal Bridges added 19 points.
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On the Cavs, questions got louder in Game 2 about whether something is wrong with Mitchell. He was not on the injury report, but he looked somewhat hampered and didn’t show his usual explosiveness in either game. Still, he managed to clock a team-high 26 points and four boards.
Mitchell got some help from Jarrett Allen, who got 13 points and 10 rebounds, while James Harden got 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
With two consecutive losses on the road, Cleveland heads home to Rocket Arena, where the Cavs are 6-1 this postseason.
Can the Cavaliers rally?
According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, the key will be Cleveland’s supporting cast, who have been largely missing in the first two losses.
“The Cavs are designed for (Dean) Wade to at least attempt 3s or (Sam) Merrill to catch fire from deep or (Max) Strus to roast after setting ball-screens aplenty. But none of that happened in Game 2. Cleveland’s back is against the wall, like it was against the Detroit Pistons, when it dropped the first two games of a series it eventually won. It took more than just four guys to carry the comeback. For Cleveland to have a chance this time, it could use the same.”