Jalen Brunson scored 17 of his game-high 38 points during the final eight minutes of regulation and overtime Tuesday night for the host New York Knicks, who mounted their biggest comeback in playoff history by overcoming a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks, who trailed 93-71 with 7:52 left, ended regulation on a 30-8 run before never trailing in overtime. The Cavaliers were just 4-of-18 from the field with seven turnovers the rest of the way after taking their biggest lead at 22 points.
The comeback was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a playoff game since Apr. 29, 2012, when the Los Angeles Clippers trailed the Memphis Grizzlies by 24 points before earning a 99-98 win in Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round series.
The win was the eighth straight for the Knicks, who haven’t lost since falling to the Atlanta Hawks 109-108 in Game 3 of their first-round series on Apr. 23.
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday night in New York.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) for the Knicks, who hadn’t played since completing a sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers on May 10. Mikal Bridges had 18 points while OG Anunoby and Josh Hart finished with 13 points apiece.
Donovan Mitchell had 29 points for the Cavaliers, who advanced to the conference finals by beating the Detroit Pistons in a seven-game second-round series which ended Sunday night. But only three of those points came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
James Harden and Evan Mobley scored 15 points apiece while Sam Merrill collected 12 points off the bench. Starters Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade each chipped in 10 points.
After New York led 23-16 after one quarter, the Cavaliers surged ahead, taking a 45-43 lead into halftime and an 83-69 advantage through three quarters.
Harden’s free throw with 7:52 left in regulation gave the Cavaliers a 93-71 lead before the Knicks began their comeback. Landry Shamet’s 3-pointer from the right corner rolled around the rim and in to tie the score at 99 with 45 seconds left.
Harden and Brunson traded baskets before Merrill’s 3-pointer rimmed in and out with three seconds left and Bridges missed a heave at the buzzer from well beyond midcourt.
Anunoby opened overtime with two free throws for the Knicks, who scored the first nine points of the extra session while the Cavaliers went 0-for-4 with a turnover.
Shamet’s 3-pointer with 1:49 left extended the lead to 110-101. Max Strus hit a 3-pointer out of a timeout for Cleveland, but New York scored the game’s final five points, outscoring the Cavaliers 14-3 in the extra period.
