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Cavs’ Kenny Atkinson tips his cap to Jalen Brunson after Game 2 domination
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- Cavs’ Kenny Atkinson tips his cap to Jalen Brunson after Game 2 domination
Cavs’ Kenny Atkinson tips his cap to Jalen Brunson after Game 2 domination appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Cleveland Cavaliers have found themselves in a precarious situation after losing to the New York Knicks , 109-93, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
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The Cavaliers tried to rally multiple times in the second half, but the Knicks were just too locked in, especially with the raucous crowd constantly giving them energy.
New York now leads, 2-0, in the best-of-seven series.
Josh Hart led the Knicks with a playoff career-high 26 points, including 5-of-11 shooting from long distance. He added four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
Jalen Brunson , meanwhile, was a steady driver for the Knicks, tallying a double-double of 19 points and 14 assists on top of three rebounds. He was in full control of the game and made his teammates better.
Even Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson had to tip his hat to Brunson.
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“That’s what great players do, right? They read the game, and the game dictated that,” said Atkinson in the video posted by SNY.
“Obviously, we’re loaded up more to him, and he found other guys. We just have to find that balance. But 14 assists, credit to him, right? We took away some of his scoring options, blitzed him, gave him different looks, and he still made the right reads, right plays.”
The 29-year-old Brunson was heroic in Game 1, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter to anchor the Knicks’ comeback from a 22-point deficit .
In Game 2, the Knicks limited the Cavaliers to just 39% shooting, including 9-of-35 from three-point range. New York had 17 more assists than Cleveland and had an 18-point advantage in inside scoring.
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Game 3 moves to Rocket Arena on Saturday.
Related: Donovan Mitchell bluntly shuts down fatigue concerns after Cavs’ Game 2 loss
Related: Fans roast Cavs’ Dennis Schroder for wasting no time with 0-2 Instagram post
