The New York Knicks have been rolling through the Eastern Conference Finals, and heading into Game 3 in Cleveland, they just got more good news ahead of a massive road game.
The injury report for Game 3 will have Knicks fans liking what they see. Hart briefly headed to the locker room with trainers in the third quarter of Game 2 after tweaking his ankle on an awkward landing, though he came back and finished the game strong. Heading into Cleveland, his availability was still worth monitoring.
Every Knick Available as New York Eyes 3-0 Series Lead
GettyNew York Knicks Get Exactly What They Needed Amid Josh Hart Concern
Hart is all set for the next game, and so is everyone else. Knicks zero players on the injury report, with Game 3 set for 8 p.m. ET at Rocket Arena.
So, the complete starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns is healthy and ready.
CLEAR
Playoff lineups usually get cut down to eight players or less. Thus, having the entire roster healthy means New York could field its best lineup without altering the chemistry. When closing out a series away, this factor is of great importance.
The Knicks enter Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead, and a win tonight would put Cleveland on the brink of elimination.
How the Knicks Have Dominated the Series So Far
GettyKnicks Receive Best-Case Scenario Before Cavaliers Clash Amid Hart Issue
The very first game gave us an idea what to expect. The Cavs at one point were up by 22 points with less than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but Brunson and the Knicks scored a 44-11 run for the rest of the time to regulation and overtime to come out with a 115-104 win. Such a comeback on its own speaks volumes about how mentally strong this team is.
Game 2 featured a totally different style of play. Hart put up a postseason career-high 26 points, four rebounds, and seven assists, hitting five threes, and that was even with the ankle tweak mid-game.
Brunson, even though he was 1-for-6 from the field in the first half, ended up with 19 points and 14 assists, which was the most by any Knicks player in a playoff game since Charlie Ward in 1998.
Towns added 18 points despite physical coverage from Cleveland. When three different guys can carry the load on different nights, that is a hard team to gameplan against.
The Cavaliers, for their part, have remained clueless in their pursuit of a solution. Harden dropped 18 in Game 2 while Mobley and Allen contributed 14 and 13 respectively; however, the offense couldn’t get into any real groove against New York’s defense.
A 3-0 lead would essentially end this series. The Knicks have depth, health, and momentum all pointing in the same direction, and Cleveland is running out of room to figure things out.
Knicks Release Good News Amid Josh Hart Ankle Issue Before Game 3 Vs. Cavs