The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday, and Jalen Brunson finished the night by closing out Cleveland in the fourth quarter.
Brunson scored 21 points in the game, doing the bulk of his damage when the outcome was decided and helping the Knicks take a 3-0 series lead — one win from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
The margin and the production carried weight: New York has now won 10 straight postseason games, and nine of its 11 playoff victories this run have come by double digits. The Knicks also joined history as the eighth team ever to win five straight postseason games by at least 10 points.
Contributions came all over the roster. Mikal Bridges finished with 22 points, OG Anunoby added 21 points and seven rebounds, and Landry Shamet hit four 3-pointers, three of them in the second half. Those outside shots proved critical against a Cavaliers team that managed only 12-for-41 from 3-point range.
A close look at jalen brunson stats from Game 3 underlines how the guard asserted himself late: 21 points overall and the decisive plays down the stretch that sealed the win and the 3-0 lead.
Knicks coach and players leaned on rotation and role control. Josh Hart, who was fifth among the Knicks starters this season at 30.2 minutes per game, said the lower playing time this year compared with last season — when he averaged a league-leading 37.6 minutes per game — left him fresher and better prepared for the postseason. Hart said he focused on nutrition, body work and recovery to make that difference.
Cleveland enters Game 4 tonight already down 0-3 and set to be without Dennis Schröder because of an illness, a setback that reduces depth and ball-handling options for a team that has battled through a long stretch of games. The Cavaliers had played 13 games since April 29, while New York had played eight in that same span.
The contrast in workload and the shooting discrepancy from beyond the arc supply the tension underneath the scoreboard. New York’s recent string of decisive wins argues the series is effectively over, but the Cavs’ ability to flip a cold shooting night into a hot one — and to find alternatives without Schröder — is the remaining wild card.
Coach Mike Brown acknowledged that the Cavaliers have tried to keep players engaged by emphasizing longer-term preparation over single-game decisions, borrowing a line of thinking he said he took from the Knicks’ approach. That mindset has not yet translated into a reversal on the scoreboard: the Knicks’ margin and control in Game 3 left Cleveland with little room for error heading into Game 4.
New York’s depth showed up in ways the box score does not fully capture. Bench and rotation players made timely shots and defensive stops; Shamet’s four triples, including his three second-half makes, chipped away at any late Cavs’ charge. Yet the basic arithmetic of the series remains stark: one win separates the Knicks from the franchise’s first Finals trip in 25 years.
Brunson framed the team’s mentality after the game by pointing to the roster’s culture — that individuals in the locker room work obsessively, prepare for their moments and step up when needed. He said those habits, and the roster’s professionalism, explain why the Knicks have been able to close games and close series.
With Game 4 looming and Cleveland shorthanded, the immediate question is operational: can the Cavaliers find a way to change the trajectory, or will New York complete the sweep that would send the Knicks to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999? The facts on the floor after Game 3 — the 121-108 score, Brunson’s late control, the 3-0 series lead and New York’s 10-game postseason streak — make one answer clear: the Knicks have put themselves in the position to finish the job and take the franchise back to the Finals.
