Brunson Posts 14 Assists in Knicks' 109-93 Game 2 Win
brunson turned a 38-point Game 1 into a 14-assist response, and the Knicks beat the Cavaliers 109-93 in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night. He finished with 19 points, but the passing line was the sharper marker as New York won its ninth consecutive playoff game.
Brunson Changes The Script
Brunson scored on the first possession, then missed his next five field-goal attempts and did not score again after that opening basket in the first quarter. He still controlled the game. He shot 7-of-16 and made 1 of 7 from 3-point range, but the assists kept coming as New York found a different way to beat Cleveland.
That was the part Cleveland could not solve. After Game 2, Kenny Atkinson said the Cavaliers were loaded up more to Brunson and that Brunson found other guys. He added, “That’s what great players do, right?”
Knicks Keep The Ball Moving
Miles McBride said Brunson is willing to give up the ball when teams crowd him. “He’s about winning,” McBride said. “We knew that from the jump. Obviously, he’s one of the best scorers in the league, but the fact that he’s willing to just be selfless and give up the ball when guys are double-teaming him proves that he just wants to win.”
Mikal Bridges called the shift “A great message.” He added, “It just shows that he plays the right way. If you’re not going to send a d”
The numbers back the adjustment. Brunson scored 38 points in Game 1, then followed it with a personal playoff-high 14 assists in Game 2. The Knicks also kept their run rolling with a ninth straight playoff victory, and that streak now sits alongside the way Brunson is beating defenses that load up on him.
Cleveland Loaded Up Early
Atkinson said the Cavaliers gave Brunson extra attention and he answered by making the right reads. “They read the game, and the game dictated that. Obviously, we were loaded up more to him, and he found other guys. … Took away some of his scoring options, blitzed him, gave him different looks. He made the right reads, the right plays.”
For New York, that is the cleaner takeaway from a 109-93 win that moved the series through another game without needing Brunson to carry the scoring load alone. The captain and franchise player still produced 19 points, but the 14 assists showed a Knicks attack that can punish the extra defender when he draws it.
