While the “Marty Supreme” star was courtside at Madison Square Garden, Jenner watched from the comfort of home with some chips, a bottle of wine and caviar.
“GAME NIGHT!” Jenner wrote in an Instagram Story showing off the way she was watching Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Knicks and Cavaliers.
Kylie Janner shows off her tank top before tip-off. KylieJanner/Instagram
While Jenner, a California native, has not joined Chalamet at MSG for this round, she has made plenty of appearances at The World’s Most Famous Arena with her Knicks-fan boyfriend at various times during the postseason.
She had sat courtside with Chalamet during Game 5 of the first-round series against the Hawks and was back at MSG for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the 76ers — both victories.
While Jenner hadn’t made her way to 4 Pennsylvania Plaza yet this round, she made headlines after Game 1, responding to a TikTok post by Page Six showing Chalamet walking out to his courtside seat.
Timothee Chalamet cheers on the Knicks during their Game 2 win over the Cavaliers NBAE via Getty Images
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 22, 2026
Fellow superfans Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Tracy Morgan were also in attendance for the game.
Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman and Chris Rock were spotted courtside as well.
Kylie Jenner’s meal during Game 2. KylieJemmer/Instagram
Chalamet made sure to share some of his experience from Game 2 on his Instagram Story, including the view from his seat, a video of a bucket from Jalen Brunson and the stat line shown on the MSG video board.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill speaks during the The Center for American Progress (CAP) IDEAS Conference in Washington, DC on May 19, 2026. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Three weeks ago, at the end of a discussion of her first 100 days as governor of New Jersey at Newark’s Performing Arts Center, Mikie Sherill faced a series of rapid-fire questions from NJ.com political editor Brent Johnson. The subjects ranged from personal issues to state policy. But then a little more than an hour into the video, she faced an odd inquiry about the Brooklyn nee New Jersey Nets, long gone from Newark’s Prudential Center and before that the Byrne/Continental/IZOD Center.
Would she be interested in bringing the Nets back from Brooklyn where the team moved in 2012 after 35 years in N.J.? Yes, indeed, she told Johnson.
“I mean, would I support it? I ask about it all the time,” Sherrill said. “I love the idea. So, I have been pressing for that. I haven’t made a lot of headway yet; you know, maybe in my second 100 days.
“But I do think there is some work being done for some — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say too much about it — but some people are working on some different sports coming into the Rock.”
For some New Jersey fans, that would be a dream come true. No more commuting across two rivers! New York Knicks fans would like it too, having been tweeting for years that the city is too big for two teams.
To say that’s realistic, however, is wrong. The Nets are comfortably ensconced in the borough, about to play their 14th season at Barclays Center, the billion dollar arena that is now in the third year of a five-year, $140 million renovation. So has the governor and the Nets been in touch? Nope, according to the Nets.
“There have been no conversations with ownership or leadership and the governor or her administration and we have no plans to bring the Brooklyn Nets back to New Jersey,” a league insider told ND in what amounts to a blanket denial.
Why did the governor who’s still celebrating her political honeymoon make a commitment about what is decidedly not a big issue other than for a small minority of basketball fans? No idea, said the insider, calling the comments “very odd … “They’re perfectly happy in Brooklyn.”
What about the Long Island Nets, not so comfortably ensconced in Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum? Nope, no talks about them relocating either.
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Montreal Canadiens never flinched in winning two Game 7s on the road to reach the Eastern Conference Final. Opening on the road again was no different, even against a well-rested top seed that had yet to lose in the postseason.
The Canadiens pounced for four first-period goals on slow-starting Carolina — coming off the longest postseason break in more than a century — and beat the Hurricanes 6-2 on Thursday night.
“We knew we could come in here and try to get off to a good start to the series,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said after a three-assist night. “We’re happy with the result, but they’re definitely going to be better than what they were tonight.”
Cole Caulfield celebrates after scoring a first-period goal on Frederik Anderson during the Canadiens’ 6-2 Game 1 win over the Hurricanes in Raleigh on May 21, 2026. Getty Images
Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault scored in the opening four minutes, Alexandre Texier followed four minutes later, and Ivan Demidov finished a breakaway for a shocking 4-1 lead midway through the opening period. That came against a team that hadn’t allowed more than two goals in an 8-0 playoff start.
Juraj Slafkovksy scored twice in the third period for Montreal, the second on a late empty-netter, while Jakub Dobes had 24 saves.
Game 2 is Saturday night.
The Hurricanes were the first team to sweep their first two playoff rounds since the NHL went to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987. But that led to a lengthy break of 11 days, the longest rest for any team before starting the next playoff run since at least 1920, while waiting on the Canadiens to battle their way past Tampa Bay and Buffalo.
That led to the rest-versus-rust discussion about the Hurricanes, along with how well the Canadiens would pivot from those to-the-limit wins.
And outside of Seth Jarvis beating Dobes just 33 seconds in, the Canadiens answered that question resoundingly in those opening minutes to extend Carolina’s misery in this round.
Juraj Slafkovský scores past Frederik Andersen during the third period of the Canadiens’ Game 1 win over the Hurricanes. AP
“I didn’t think we were very sharp, to put it bluntly,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Our top guys had tough nights. That’s not going to work at this time of the year.”
Much of Carolina’s success comes from pressuring opponents in the offensive zone and minimizing chances going the other way. But Montreal effectively moved the puck out of danger against Carolina’s aggressive pressure early, setting up clean breakouts, open-ice space and multiple breakaway chances at Frederik Andersen.
“The execution was there right off the bat,” Canadiens center Jake Evans said.
Danault’s goal was a full-speed breakaway right up the middle off a feed from Alexandre Carrier, while Demidov went forehand-backhand-forehand to beat Andersen for the 4-1 lead with 8:28 left in the first.
Andersen was leading the postseason in goals-against average (1.12) and save percentage (.950), but finished with just 16 saves.
Eric Robinson also scored for Carolina, which is in the Eastern final for the third time in four years and fourth time in the current eight-season playoff run under Rod Brind’Amour. But the Hurricanes are now 1-13 in those games, including sweeps against Boston in 2019 and Florida in 2023.
Carolina’s loss meant the two Stanley Cup favorites both lost the opener of the conference finals. Colorado lost at home to Vegas on Wednesday night.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 21: Donovan Mitchell #45, James Harden #1 ,Max Strus #2 and Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talk during the game against the New York Knicks during Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 21, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Mitchell doesn’t look right. Or left, when he has the ball. He only looks up towards the rim.
Jokes aside, Mitchell genuinely doesn’t look right physically. He’s as limited as I’ve ever seen him, hardly getting any burst or upward lift on his drives. That’s made it near impossible for him to get to his spots against a rangy Knicks defense.
Outside of that, decision-making remains a blemish. Mitchell ended the night with only 1 assist, something that just isn’t good enough at this stage of the game.
Harden is unplayable defensively. The Knicks can get anything they want when he’s out there. I wrote more about that here.
This is something Harden has somewhat made up for with his offense in years past. But that’s fallen apart in this series. He only had 2 assists tonight as the Knicks made an effort to take away the paint and force Harden to create plays. He couldn’t.
Grade: F
Evan Mobley
14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
Mobley had 10 points in the first quarter. He scored 4 points the rest of the way and only attempted 8 shots on the night.
Everyone deserves blame.
We can acknowledge that New York made it a point of emphasis to take Mobley away from the ball. They clogged passing lanes and did everything they could to avoid letting him catch it on the roll. That puts a limit on what Mobley can do.
However, it’s an indictment on everyone that Mobley wasn’t involved in other ways. Inverted screens, operating at the elbow. Literally anything. This type of stuff can’t happen, yet it continues to plague them.
Grade: B-
Jarrett Allen
13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Similar to Game 1, Allen was holding his end of the deal by winning the physicality battle and eating on the offensive glass.
The Cavs won the offensive rebounding battle 13-5. Allen had as many offensive boards as the Knicks. It didn’t matter.
Cleveland hasn’t been able to feed Allen consistently. He’s been spaced out, hiding in the dunker’s spot while his guards dribble, dribble, and dribble the game away.
Grade: B–
Dean Wade
3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Wade looks more ready to shoot than he did at any point in the Raptors or Pistons series. That didn’t help them much tonight as he went 1-3 from downtown. But it’s better than pumpfaking air and stopping the entire offense.
Grade: C-
Max Strus
5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Strus hasn’t had his moment in this series. He struggled to score in Game 1 and shot just 1-7 from the floor tonight (1-4 from deep). I expect him to find his range at some point, but for now, the Cavs are sorely missing his shooting.
Grade: D+
Dennis Schroder
4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Schroder and Jaylon Tyson were the only Cavaliers to play 10+ minutes and avoid a negative plus/minus. They both ended as zeros.
I think Schroder helps the Cavs in spots where the backcourt is struggling to make reads. But that’s a problem in and of itself.
Grade: D+
Sam Merrill
4 points
This was a brutal game for Merrill. He went 0-7 from deep, and it wasn’t like he was taking difficult shots. Most of them were clean looks.
Grade: F
Jaylon Tyson
4 points, 3 rebounds
Tyson got his first chance in this series and didn’t do much with it. He had a brief moment in the second half, where his hustle and off-ball activity provided a boost. But that moment was fleeting.
There’s room for Tyson to assert himself in this series if he can take advantage of his minutes. Going 0-3 from the corner isn’t going to cut it.
New York didn't save its heroics for the final minutes of the game on Thursday — it got its work out of the way in the third.
The Knicks took charge of the game — and the Eastern Conference Finals — with an 18-0 run in the third quarter, where Cleveland went scoreless for 5:30 of game time. Meanwhile, Josh Hart turned around his struggles in Game 1 to knock down five 3-pointers and score a playoff career-high 26 on Thursday night.
New York led 85-70 after three quarters, and the only question left was whether the Cavaliers had a Knicks-like comeback in them.
They didn't. Cleveland did make a little run, but Mike Brown called a timeout to reset his team — something Kenny Atkinson did not do in Game 1 — and New York took control again.
In the end it was a 109-93 New York win that puts it up 2-0 in the series and puts pressure on Cleveland to hold serve on their home court.
Game 3 is in Cleveland on Saturday.
With Hart hitting everything, the much-maligned Knicks starting five — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns — played heavy minutes and had a +27.7 net rating for the game.
Brunson scored just two points in the first half but took charge and started to manufacture points in the third, including a pull-up 3-pointer over Dean Wade, then soon after hit a runner over Wade, plus had a steal that became a Bridges dunk in transition. Brunson finished with 19 points and 14 assists on the night.
Bridges added 19 points and Towns scored 18.
Cleveland struggled on offense all night. Donovan Mitchell was playing through some pain and shot 8-of-18 on his way to 26 points, and James Harden didn't pick him up (18 points on 6-of-15 shooting). Evan Mobley had 14 points in the first half but was scoreless in the second.
Like Game 1, the Cavaliers raced out to an early lead, getting up by six midway through the first quarter, in part because they started 4-of-7 from 3-point range while the Knicks were 1-of-6. At the end of one quarter, it was a 27-24 Cleveland lead, as the Knicks' offense once again looked stuck in the mud.
That changed in the second quarter because New York became really aggressive on drives as evidenced by its 30 points in the paint. Towns led that charge with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting because he got downhill, and Josh Hart was aggressive and had 12 first-half points.
Then came the Knicks' run in the third, and that was the game.
New York picked apart Cleveland's defense on its way to a 123.9 offensive rating for the meaningful part of the game, with a 59.4 eFG%. When Cleveland started throwing double-teams at Brunson, he picked them apart with his passing, and Hart and Towns finished the plays.
Cleveland needs to find its energy from the first half of Game 1 — or, better yet, Game 7 against Detroit last series — or this Eastern Conference Finals could end quickly.
Evan Mobley, who struggled after a quick start, drives on Mitchell Robinson during the Knicks' 109-93 Game 2 blowout win over the Cavaliers on May 21, 2026 at the Garden.
The Cavaliers dared Josh Hart to beat them, and he obliged. After getting benched at the end of Game 1, and starting cold in Game 2, the gritty Hart found his shot.
He made five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 26 points, along with seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Zero
At halftime, Evan Mobley was on his way to a monster game, tallying 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
Then he vanished, going scoreless over the final 24 minutes as the Knicks ran away and hid from his Cavaliers.
Somehow, Mobley didn’t take a single shot over the final two quarters. He was getting in plenty of cardio.
Evan Mobley, who struggled after a quick start, drives on Mitchell Robinson during the Knicks’ 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers on May 21, 2026 at the Garden. AP
Unsung hero
Jalen Brunson doesn’t have to pile up points to make a difference.
The Cavaliers took away the Knicks’ top offensive weapon, so he served the role of playmaker to a tee, dishing out a career playoff-high 14 assists. Brunson also scored 19 points.
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Key stats
221 — The Knicks’ positive point differential, the highest of any team through the first 12 games of a postseason.
Quote
“He’s the perfect example for any basketball player who wants to learn how to truly impact the winning of a team, and he does that at the highest level.”
The Mets announced that RHP Tobias Myers will start Friday's series opener against the Marlins in Miami.
Myers, 27, has not started a game this season, but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had left the possibility open to use the reliever in that role following the injury to Clay Holmes. However, the Mets skipper said it would be tricky to get Myers stretched out to go deep into games.
Myers was getting warmed up in the bullpen in the eighth inning if the Mets tacked on runs, but Devin Williams was called on to complete the save in Thursday's series finale.
He last appeared in a game on May 18 against the Nationals, where he pitched 1.1 innings while throwing 25 pitches.
Myers has starting experience, 32 career starts, but has been used as the long man in the Mets bullpen.
The right-hander told SNY's Chelsea Janes last Friday in the aftermath of Holmes' injury that no one had approached him about replacing Holmes in the rotation, but confirmed that he's not stretched out enough that he can start.
“At the moment, I’m [not stretched out to where I could start]. Maybe 35, 40 pitches,” Myers told Janes.
The Mets pulled prospect Jonah Tong from his Syracuse start earlier this week and Mendoza said that the right-hander is "in play" to be called up for the Miami series. It looks unlikely Tong will be called up now, but fans will have to wait until game time to find out.
New York will start their series with the Marlins on Friday at 7:10 p.m.
May 21, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter of game two of the eastern conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
We knew it before the series started, and tonight we saw the proof again: the Cavaliers just can’t match the offensive depth of New York.
While Cleveland relied on Donovan Mitchell (26 PTS), the husk of James Harden, and their two big men, all five Knicks starters logged double-digit points. Late into the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson had recorded just 11 points, but it didn’t matter. The captain finished with 19 points and 14 dimes, while his roomie was busy bossing around the Cavs and taking his turn in the spotlight. Playing incredibly well at both ends, Josh Hart set a new personal postseason best with 26 points (10-21 FG, 5-11 3PT), plus seven assists, four boards, and two steals.
Not to be outdone, Karl-Anthony Towns logged his eighth double-double of these playoffs (18 points, 13 boards), and their diabolically defending wings combined for 33 points on 14-of-20 shooting. Although the visitors held a six-point lead at times in the first half, everything post-intermission belonged to the hosts. When the final buzzer buzzed, New York had won 109-93 and secured a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The game started off alright. All in the first minute, Jalen Brunson swished a floater, Mikal Bridges stole an inbounds pass, and Karl-Anthony Towns sank a three. The Garden ruptured eardrums with their vociferous vocalizations.
Cleveland responded, however. They capitalized on Knicks’ misses and miscues while also getting Evan Mobley cooking early. Their skipper, Kenny Atkinson, gave the frontcourt some notes after New York schooled his bigs on Tuesday. Early tonight, they outrebounded the Knicks, and Evan Mobley led the Cavs with 10 first-quarter points.
Meanwhile, New York’s long-range shooting was frosty again. They missed five of their first six attempts while the guests converted three-quarters of theirs. New York’s ball movement was good, but Cleveland’s defense kept up. Luckily for us, OG Anunoby exists. His defense was equal to—if not better than—his opponents’, and his steal from Dean Wade became two easy points midway through Q1.
Rest assured, the hamstring seems fine. OG sprinted up the court like a gazelle.
New York’s bench provided a lift, with Landry Shamet stealing from Sam Merrill and Deuce McBride hitting a triple—his first points of the series. Donovan Mitchell waited until the final seconds to make his first bucket, a three that gave Cleveland a 27-24 advantage at the buzzer.
In the second quarter, Jose Alvarado joined the fray to give Brunson a blow. With Cap resting, Towns carried the Knicks offensively early in the quarter. He knocked down a three and scored inside. Bridges continued to make life hell for James Harden, and when The Beard managed to fight his way to the cup, there was Mitchell Robinson to stuff him back.
At the other end, Bridges was a menace, too, making nearly all his shots to reach double digits early.
Cleveland ratcheted up its defense. Mobley blocked Towns at the rim, Mitchell swatted away a McBride three-point attempt, and Dennis Schröder finished a driving layup during a Cavaliers run.
Neither team surrendered much ground. At the midway point, coach Mike Brown went with four starters and Robinson at center. Cleveland went ahead, and New York tied the score; the Cavs inched forward, then New York leapfrogged them. Hart finally converted from the outfield to secure a five-point lead. When Harden hit from deep, the score was knotted yet again.
The Cavaliers guarded Brunson well, limiting him to just two points on six field-goal attempts in his first 19 minutes. The Knicks have so many riches, though. With JB stymied, Hart scored eight points in the quarter to give the good guys a 53-49 halftime lead.
Through the first half, Cleveland missed six more shots than our heroes yet stayed competitive by outrebounding them by seven and hauling in eight offensive boards to New York’s zero. The Knicks shot fine from the field (56%), but missing 8 of 11 from deep prevented them from blowing the lid off this sucker. Each team protected the ball, committing just three turnovers apiece despite the dogged defense. Mobley led all scorers with 14 points, while KAT was a close second with 13.
Jarrett Allen and Spida scored four points to kick off the second half. Then the ‘Nova kids tore off on an 18-0 run, with nine points from Hart, seven points from Brunson, and two from Bridges. An apoplectic Atkinson nearly snapped his hair like twigs while his club went dry for five-and-a-half minutes and fell behind by almost 20.
Spida contributed a few buckets but received little support from his cohort. With Harden on the bench, picking lint out of his facial hair, you have to wonder if maybe Donovan misses Darius Garland from time to time.
Not only were the Knicks scorching the nets from every distance, but they protected the ball. In the quarter, they committed no turnovers but forced four, outscored the guests 32-18, and closed the frame with an 85-70 lead.
To start the fourth, New York missed seven shots and committed four fouls, allowing Mitchell, Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson to cut the gap to seven points.
When Jordan Clarkson committed a loose-ball foul on Tyson, New York was in the penalty with nine minutes still to play.
The teams traded buckets, and Brown needed a timeout. The Cavs couldn’t muster the stuff to mount a comeback like New York did on Tuesday. With Harden and Schröder whiffing, Bridges and Anunoby combined for eight points to push the lead to 13 with six minutes left.
Mitchell was huffing and puffing; Allen, Harden, and Strus bricked again; and in a flash, the differential was 19 with under three minutes left. Towns fouled Harden on a drive that resulted in an and-one. That gave us a moment’s pause. But Cleveland was beat in so many ways. Bridges scored, Spida missed, and Brunson hit a six-foot dagger to restore the 18-point advantage with 1:30 left. From there, both coaches sent in the subs to mop it up, and a beautiful night of basketball drew to its conclusion.
Up Next
Professor Miranda has a recap for your ear, and this series is headed to Ohio. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
Karl-Anthony Towns had an impressive Game 2 in the Knicks' win over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals at MSG.
On Tuesday, Karl-Anthony Towns dismissed his quiet offensive night. All that mattered, he said then, was the Knicks prevailed.
“It’s not about the individual performances, it’s about this team finding a way to put up a win on the board,” Towns said. “I think that’s what’s special.”
Two nights later, he regained his form.
Though it wasn’t Towns the distributor, as it has been since the Knicks made a tweak to their offense during the opening-round series against the Hawks, he was pretty effective nonetheless.
Karl-Anthony Towns had an impressive Game 2 in the Knicks’ win over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals at MSG. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Towns was terrific, notching 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting, 13 rebounds and a plus-18 rating in 36 strong minutes.
He hit three 3-pointers, equaling his most in these playoffs.
Karl-Anthony Towns looks for the open man while being guarded by James Harden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
It was a very different Towns from the series opener, when he was limited to 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting along with seven turnovers. He was aggressive, made quick decisions and scored in a variety of ways — from beyond the arc and in the interior.
At times, he overpowered Cavaliers big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. On other occasions, he shot over them.
The performance continued Towns’ strong postseason. It has also shown his ability to adjust, from scorer to distributor back to scorer again.
“Just seeing where the game goes,” said Towns, who also had a major role in holding Mobley scoreless after halftime. “Last game, I felt was a game for us to kind of download a lot of information. Today, I just wanted to be aggressive — like I always say, playmaking, getting looks at the basket. It wasn’t even about scoring, it was about putting pressure on the defense, and I just found myself in good positions.”
The Knicks didn't need an epic fourth-quarter comeback in this one, this time handling the Cleveland Cavaliers easily in a 109-93 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Here are the takeaways...
-- In a game where Jalen Brunson finished with 19 points but had just two points in the first half, New York leaned on its supporting cast heavily early on, who got the job done.
First, it was Karl-Anthony Towns who had seven points in the first quarter by bullying his way to the rim and finding his stroke early from long range. Mikal Bridges also chipped in with six in the opening quarter with excellent shot selection.
Off the bench, Miles McBride added some energy and shot-making ability, hitting a three with 2:09 left in the first quarter to put New York ahead by two. It was the last basket the Knicks would make until the second quarter as the Cavaliers re-took the lead thanks to a 5-0 run to end the first quarter.
-- McBride kept it going to kick off the second with a two-pointer before Towns tied things up with a deep three. It was a bit of a slog for New York after that until Bridges ended a nearly three-minute stretch without a made field goal with a nice pull-up jumper.
OG Anunoby and Josh Hart started to get involved from there and ended the half by combining for the Knicks' final 15 points, including back-to-back threes.
Meanwhile, what Brunson lacked in scoring in the first half, he made up for with his passing by totaling five assists at halftime. In fact, New York as a team did a great job of passing the ball around and had 17 assists compared to Cleveland's nine at the break and led 53-49.
-- Following his offensive flurry to end the half, Hart completely caught fire in the third quarter, especially from deep, and went 3-for-3 behind the line, all assisted by Brunson. His third three-pointer of the quarter gave him 24 points. Speaking of Brunson, the point guard had six assists in the third quarter alone and finished with a playoff career-high 14.
For Hart's part, he added seven dimes to go along with his game-high 26 points, as well as four rebounds and two steals.
After outscoring the Cavs 32-21 in the third quarter, the Knicks' lead ballooned to as high as 19 points.
-- The fourth quarter started ice cold for New York, with Cleveland going on an 8-0 run, mostly off free throws, to get the game to within striking distance. But the Knicks' offense eventually won out and put an end to any inkling of a Cavs comeback. Anunoby and Bridges hit some key shots before Brunson got to work late in the game, finishing with 19 points.
New York's starting five all finished in double-digits. Bridges had 19, Towns had 18 with 13 rebounds and Anunoby had 14. Brunson ended with a double-double, his eighth playoff double-double and 61st of his career.
-- The Knicks have now won nine straight playoff games with a +212 point differential in that stretch.
Game MVP: Josh Hart
It was Hart's scoring outburst in the third quarter that took the game from close to a blowout.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 and James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the game against the New York Knicks during Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 21, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers chose to give up an inexplicably large run earlier in Game 2 than they did on Tuesday. Eighteen unanswered points from the New York Knicks turned what was a tie game into an insurmountable lead, given how Cleveland shot the ball. The Knicks cruised to an easy 109-93 victory to take a 2-0 series lead.
Donovan Mitchell’s lack of mobility is the main concern coming out of this game.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has been asked repeatedly about Mitchell’s health, but says that he doesn’t know of any injuries. However, something is clearly bothering Mitchell. The burst and explosiveness just weren’t there in Game 2.
If Mitchell isn’t 100%, it’s difficult to see the Cavs getting back into this series.
Despite the poor ending, Cleveland got off to a strong start.
Evan Mobley’s 10 first-quarter points allowed the Cavs to weather the initial storm. He promptly knocked down a couple of triples, then went to work inside to jumpstart the Cavs’ offense. That, combined with Cleveland going 5-10 from three, was good enough to give them a narrow 27-24 lead after one.
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Cleveland’s offense faltered in the second quarter. They created numerous good outside looks, including wide-open threes for Sam Merrill, but they couldn’t get many to fall. They went 1-11 from three in a 22-point quarter. That would be a theme throughout the rest of the game.
New York couldn’t use the poor shooting from Cleveland to pull away. They went just 4-11 from three themselves, but were able to do enough inside the arc to come away with a four-point lead at the break.
The Knicks took control in the third quarter.
Cleveland’s offense completely disappeared, going scoreless for five-and-a-half minutes. The Cavs couldn’t reliably get into the paint, and they couldn’t convert the clean outside looks they got.
The Knicks scored 18 unanswered by doing the opposite. They doubled up Cleveland’s attempts at the rim while also going 5-10 from three in the third.
Josh Hart, whom the Cavs were willing to let shoot threes in Game 1, got going in the third quarter. He scored 12 of his 24 points in that frame, going 4-6 from the field and 3-3 from distance. New York used that momentum to end the third with a 15-point advantage.
The Cavs fought back some in the fourth quarter, but it was a little too late. They cut the deficit to seven, but weren’t able to get enough stops or convert enough from beyond the arc to get much closer.
Poor shooting did the Cavs in. They went just 9-35 from three (25.7%) after hitting only 32% of their outside looks in Game 1.
The poor shooting in Game 1 made a little more sense. Some of those outside looks came from players they were okay giving up those shots to, like Mobley, who took eight. That wasn’t the case in Game 2.
Sam Merrill went 0-7 from three. Nearly all of those looks were about as clean as you could possibly hope for. The same could be said for Max Strus (1-4), Mitchell (2-7), and Jaylon Tyson (0-3).
Those shooting struggles extended to the free-throw line, with the Cavs missing 10 of their 32 foul shots.
Mitchell, despite being hobbled, led Cleveland in scoring. He had 26 points on 8-18 shooting with just one assist.
Mobley had 10 points in the first quarter. It seemed like it was going to be a promising night for him, but he wasn’t able to get enough touches after the hot start to really get anything going. He attempted just two shots in the final three quarters, finishing with 14 points on 5-8 shooting with six rebounds.
James Harden had 18 points on 6-15 shooting with two assists and no turnovers. Jarrett Allen contributed 13 points on 5-10 shooting with 10 rebounds.
Hart led the Knicks with 26 points on 10-21 shooting, which included going 5-11 from three. The rest of the Knicks starters finished with double-digit points: Jalen Brunson (19), Mikal Bridges (19), Karl-Anthony Towns (18), and OG Anunoby (14).
Brunson contributed 14 assists, which is one more than the Cavs did as a team.
The Cavs’ backs are against the wall. They need to win Game 3 to effectively keep their season alive. We’ll see if they can climb out of a 2-0 hole again as they did against the Detroit Pistons.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 21: Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks reacts against Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 21, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the hole, facing an 0-2 deficit for the second straight round. They host the New York Knicks on Saturday for Game 3.
Let’s go over today’s losers.
LOSER – Ignoring Josh Hart
The Cavs haven’t made it a secret that they’re ignoring Josh Hart on the perimeter. They’ve had Jarrett Allen guard (or not guard him), cheating way into the paint and allowing Hart to fire away as often as he wants.
This strategy worked for the Cavs in the previous rounds. They found success ignoring Detroit’s Ausaur Thompson in the same way. The only problem is, Hart is a far better shooter than anyone the Cavs have given this treatment to in the past.
Hart shot 41.3% from downtown this season. Granted, his attempts are some of the highest quality in the league as teams are content with daring him to shoot. Still, it’s hard to hit more than 40% of your three-pointers. For comparison, Thompson shot just 25% from deep this year.
Cleveland won their bet in Game 1. Hart shot 1-5 from the three-point line and wasn’t able to make them pay. But this is playing with fire. And Hart found his stride by hitting 5-of-11 three-pointers in Game 2. The Cavs continued to leave him open even after his third triple sank. It was maddening to watch Hart nail two more triples without facing any defensive pressure.
Kenny Atkinson is a process-oriented coach. He has a plan and stick to it, regardless of the results. That can lead him to sticking through some painful stretches of basketball, whereas other coaches migth be quicker to read the moment and adjust.
The Cavs could have used an adjustment tonight.
LOSER – Sam Merrill
I speak for everyone when I say I wondered how losing Game 1 would impact the Cavs tonight. What I didn’t expect, however, was for Sam Merrill to be the one seemingly most effected,
Merrill had a great opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation in Game 1. He took a shot he’s nailed hundreds of times before, watching it hit every part of the rim and bounce out. I can’t say for certain, but it looked like missing that shot messed with Merrill’s focus in Game 2.
The Cavs generated a ton of clean looks for Merrill tonight. Despite this, he ended the game 0-7 from downtown, missing some of the easiest shots he’s had all year. He even missed 2-4 free throws, something that comes as a surprise for 85% free throw shooter.
Merrill wasn’t the only one who struggled from deep. Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson and Dennis Schroder shot a combined 1-8. A few makes from anyone on the bench would have gone a long way to making this game feel more competetive in the second half.
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden weren’t great either. The backcourt shot 5-14 from deep.
Still, I have to focus on Merrill, who is held to a higher standard as the team’s best shooter. We know this type of game can happen to anybody, but I’ll be watching closely to see if he can shake this off and get back to being himself.
LOSER – James Harden
The Cavs are in an impossible position with Harden.
There is nowhere to hide him on defense. New York has too many creators and is too dynamic offensively for Harden to find any solace. He has to defend someone, and sometimes, that means he’ll have to defend Jalen Brunson.
We didn’t see Brunson erase a 22 point deficit by targeting Harden tonight. But we did watch him get whatever he wanted whenever the beard was in front of him. You might ask why the Cavs aren’t working harder to avoid those situations.
Let me explain why by going over their other options.
Option 1: Hedge and recover
Hedging a ball screen requires effort. A lot of it.
I’m not going to kick a man while he’s down, but I think it’s fair to say that defensive effort has never been Harden’s strength. I’m also not sure if he has the foot speed at 36 years old to push Brunson away from the screen and then rush to recover to the screener.
So, we can just take this option off the board. It’s not happening.
Option 2: Trap the ball
Okay, we can’t have Harden hedge to avoid the switch. Not without conceding a massive disadvantage, at least.
What if we trapped the ball?
Sending two to Brunson and forcing him to give it up will at least add some organization to the chaos. It’s easier to funnel the ball to certain spots on the floor when you’re prepared to send two to the ball.
But, that only works if the trap is aggressive. That means rushing the ball, being physical, and actively working to take away passing lanes.
Not… standing around in no-mans land.
Harden doesn’t play with enough urgency on defense to properly trap a ball-handler. And, he doesn’t hustle back into the play to keep the Knicks from taking full advantage of the numebrs game.
So, take this option away too.
Option 3: Just play defense!
You can scheme all you want. At the end of the day, there’s two sides to the floor, and you have to play them both to win a championship.
This wouldn’t be such a topic of discussion if Harden could meet the moment. Provide resistance, make it difficult for the Knicks to target him. Or, even just win a few individual battles by getting lucky.
None of that has happened.
This isn’t anything new for Harden, and that’s where the biggest concern comes from.
Can he change the narrative and get back into this fight? Or will the Cavs be bold enough to bench him? If they did that, I don’t know if they have a chance at running an efficient offense.
There’s really no winning here. The only path forward is taking the challenge and actually playing defense.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 21: (L-R) Ben Rice #22, Trent Grisham #12, Cody Bellinger #35, Anthony Volpe #11, Aaron Judge #99 and Ryan McMahon #19 of the New York Yankees look on during the final out of the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on May 21, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Toronto Blue Jays won 2-0. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees have been clearly salty about the way their 2025 season came to a close since the moment it happened. They strongly believed that their team was talented enough to win a championship, and to lose to the Blue Jays—first in the AL East race and then in the AL Division Series—was deeply disappointing. Perhaps the worst part of all of it was that after falling behind 0-2 in the ALDS, they won a dramatic Game 3 to briefly get back into the series, and instead of getting another win to send it back to Toronto for a winner-take-all Game 5, they got utterly embarrassed in front of their own fans at Yankee Stadium as a bullpen game sent them home.
Well, it’s far from the end of the 2026 season, but as far as Mountie Wholestaff once again inexplicably dominating the Yanks in their own backyard goes? As Yogi Berra would say, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
If the Yankees offense looked moribund on Wednesday night, tonight’s effort may want to make them consider checking their pulses. After eking out two close wins over the Blue Jays on Monday and Tuesday, the Yankee lineup completely flatlined over the ensuing pair of games for a dud of a split. Thursday’s contest was a three-hit shutout at the hands of Toronto’s depth pitchers: a 2-0 final that should prompt some big questions, especially with AL East-leading Tampa Bay coming to town. Carlos Rodón’s decent start was not good enough because it involved one mistake—not the margin for error you want from your starting pitchers, or the bullpen that followed.
Rodón got ambushed quickly to begin this affair. After a strikeout to start the night, he let Vladimir Guerrero Jr. slip away on a walk. That set the table for Daulton Varsho, who flapjacked a slider well out of the strike zone off the third-base bag and down the left field line for a goofy little RBI double—the kind Toronto does so well. Rodón regained his composure to end the frame, but that single run would stand tall for a while.
Toronto’s shutout started with a scoreless inning of work from opener Braydon Fisher, aided by a successful ABS challenge to strike out Aaron Judge. Then lefty Adam Macko worked around a two-out Ryan McMahon double to pass the baton to bulk man Spencer Miles. The 25-year-old righty used his sinker-curve combo to work ahead of the slumping Bomber lineup and quell any thoughts of a tying rally in the middle frames.
Rodón continued to work deep counts in this ballgame, exceeding 90 pitches by the end of the fifth and necessitating a move to rookie Yovanny Cruz after he finished that frame. The southpaw held his own though, working around more command issues to strike out seven Jays and keep the game within reach.
But like last night, the Yankees couldn’t hack it. They managed only three hits in the first seven innings against a trio of pitchers not exactly heralded as household names. Miles made his case to be used as a bona fide starter with 4.1 scoreless innings, striking out six and scattering a walk and two knocks.
It’s a truism in Yankee circles that George Springer could be hitting .020 across a full season, and his only hits would probably be for extra bases against the Yankees. Well, Springer entered the night hitting below the Mendoza Line despite continuing to hit leadoff. Naturally, the longtime Yankee nuisance found a pitch to drive off Camilo Doval and snuck it over the left-field wall into the first row. I dunno, man. At least it wasn’t a moonshot? Not like those count any differently.
Because the 2026 Yankee bullpen is totally fine, please stop asking, the eighth and ninth innings saw a high-leverage relief appearance from Paul Blackburn. He actually did well enough. In the eighth, he worked around a double from Ernie Clement to retire Myles Straw. Then in the ninth, he got Springer to roll over into a double play.
But asking for this Yankee offense to produce multiple runs tonight felt like asking for the weather in New Jersey to stop seesawing between sweltering heat waves and spirit-crushing rainstorms.
Submariner Tyler Rogers walked the No. 9 hitter, usually an unforgivable sin against a top-flight offense. But a top-flight offense this was not, tonight. Ben Rice went first-pitch hunting and did Rogers a favor, hitting the ball straight to Varsho. Then Judge came up, and promptly dribbled a double-play ball to Andrés Giménez to finish off the eighth. Cool.
Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Paul Goldschmidt were the trio set to face closer Jeff Hoffman in the bottom of the ninth. Bellinger lined a ball down the line but right to Vladdy at first. Jazz struck out for the fourth time, and Goldschmidt chased a pitch well out of the zone.
That’s that: a 2-0 final and a three-hit shutout to clinch the kind of series split that makes you feel hollow inside. Judge and his teammates talked a big game earlier in 2026 about wanting to always finish series strong. This was very much the opposite of that.
The Yankees have now scored one run over the past 18 innings. That’s not going to cut it against a division rival, especially one like Toronto that tends to round into form in the second half—and with another rival already growing their margin in the division. And oh, yeah, that other rival is coming to town. The Rays swept the Yankees earlier in the year at the Trop and will meet them at a convenient time.
Well, the sun will come out tomorrow, at least. And with it will come a gift: Gerrit Cole is back! I mean, starting pitching isn’t exactly the biggest issue facing the Yankees this season, but hey. You take the positives you can get them. He’ll oppose Nick Martinez with first pitch at 7:05pm on YES.
You could feel it happening in real time. Beforehand, you could see it coming from a mile away.
The Cavaliers unraveled, like they did in Game 1. The Knicks clicked into gear, as they have repeatedly during this nine-game tour de force.
At this point, it all felt inevitable, this 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals. There is a predictable nature — in all the best ways — about these Knicks at the moment.
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart goes up for a shot in the second quarter of Game 2 on May 21, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
After a sluggish first-half showing offensively, the Knicks erupted for 32 points — by way of an electric 18-0 run — in the third quarter. They outscored the Cavaliers by 11, as their four-point halftime lead ballooned to 15. They shot 13-for-23 from the field and 5-for-10 from 3-point range in the period.
Madison Square Garden grew a bit uneasy as the Knicks started the fourth quarter slowly, saw their lead cut to single digits and went into the penalty with 9:19 left in the game. But the closest the Cavs got was seven points. Then the Knicks restored order.
They put themselves within two wins of the Finals with a commanding win Thursday night and a comfortable 2-0 series lead.
Josh Hart was in the middle of everything.
The Cavs continued their strategy of having Jarrett Allen not guard him beyond the perimeter, daring Hart to take wide-open 3-pointers. Hart obliged, but his Game 1 shooting woes — when he went 1-for-5 from deep — bled into the start of Game 2. He went 2-for-7 from 3-point range in the first half and 5-for-12 overall. Those 12 shots were five more than the next highest, Karl-Anthony Towns, and double Brunson’s attempts.
Allen letting Hart go unguarded allowed the Cavs big man to act as a second defender on Brunson, whose two first-half points were the fewest he ever scored in a playoff half with the Knicks. It was stymieing the Knicks offense as a whole.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns drives to the basket as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade gives chase. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Hart, after starting 0-for-3 from deep, was visibly frustrated.
“I don’t know if we can say what he was saying to himself out loud,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
But Hart — and coach Mike Brown’s trust in him — did not waver. Hart kept firing away and drilled all three 3s he took in the third quarter. It wasn’t just his shooting, either — he was everywhere. He had three assists, two steals and an offensive rebound in the quarter. In total, Hart finished with 26 points — a playoff career high — along with seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
“He’s a gamer,” Brown said. “When you have guys that are gamers, they do stuff that people don’t think that they can do at any time. He knows the work that he puts in, we know the work that he puts in and his confidence is not gonna waver. … If Jarrett Allen wants to play in the paint, shoot it.”
New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges celebrates with New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
And Brunson’s historically quiet first half predictably didn’t last.
He had seven points and six assists in the third quarter. He finished with 19 points and 14 assists, the latter of which was a playoff career high and the most by a Knick in a playoff game since Charlie Ward in 1998.
As the Cavs kept doubling him, he kept finding open teammates. Once those teammates started hitting open shots, the dynamic Knicks offense returned in full force.
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“It shows the confidence that he has in us,” Hart said. “And the depth of a team that we have. … It just shows the character of the team, character of him. It shows we can win games in different ways.”
Towns was aggressive early with 13 first-half points. He finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Mikal Bridges, continuing his stellar performances the past two series, finished with 19 points on efficient 9-for-12 shooting from the field. Only one of those shots was a 3-pointer — he has been as aggressive attacking the rim as he’s ever been with the Knicks. And he again played strong defense on James Harden. Bridges and Towns helped keep the Knicks afloat during their first-half slog.
And OG Anunoby kept knocking off his rust, adding 14 points.
As a team, the Knicks made the Cavs’ prolific shot-blockers — Allen and Evan Mobley — irrelevant. They had a 58-40 advantage in points in the paint.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson puts up a shot while surrounded by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Donovan Mitchell, who had 26 points, was a one-man show for the Cavs. The Knicks held them to a combined 38.8 percent shooting from the field and 25.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. The Cavs also missed 10 free throws. They went down weakly.
The Knicks, on the other hand, keep surging. They have the best point differential (plus-221) across the first 12 games of a postseason in NBA history. The five teams below them all won championships.
“The most important thing is that we’re growing and learning together,” Brunson said. “No matter what the situation is, whatever the series is or whatever, we’re open to getting better, open to figuring out how to win games, trusting each other.
“It’s a lot of different things.”
These Knicks have so many different ways to beat opponents. So many ways to whip their fans into a frenzy. So many memorable moments this postseason.
Fourth time is a try for the Purdue Boilermakers as they finally got a win over Iowa this season. Last weekend they were swept on the road by the Hawkeye, but today they got ‘em. Even though Iowa put a runner on base every inning but the first, their offense was for the most part inept as they could not string anything together. Iowa is at the best when they get runners on base and create chaos. That didn’t happen today.
Purdue starter Austin Klug went 4.2 innings today and lefty Jarvis Evans went the rest of the way. Klug did a solid job though Iowa did take a lead in the fourth inning thanks to Miles Risley reaching on an error and scoring two batters later when Jaixon Frost drove a single to leftfield. It was a little surprising that Klug was pulled with two outs in the fifth, but apparently coach Greg Goff saw something casual fan didn’t.
The Boilers jumped all over Hawkeye relievers Brolan Frost and Tyler Guerin in the bottom of the fourth. Frost walked Jackson Bessette and C.J. Richmond to start the inning and was pulled in favor of Guerin. He promptly gave up a triple to Dylan Drake that scored two. Drake then scored when the nine-hole batter Westin Boyle hit a deep fly to center. After four innings, Purdue was up 4-1.
The Indiana boys swung Pete’s hammer again in the sixth inning to put more of a beating on Tyler Guerin. Richmond saw that the Hawkeyes went into a pull-side shift and laid down an easy bunt to third, reaching first without a throw. Drake singled to put two on and no outs. Boyle then executed a bunt of his own and beat it out to first as none of the Hawkeyes could make a play. That loaded the bases. Bessette score on a sacrifice fly by Eli Anderson and then former Cornhusker Aaron Manias struck the big blow with a double that scored two more. Purdue had a 6-1 lead and Iowa showed little life the rest of the game.
Jarvis Evans gave up three hits once he came in to get the last out of the fifth, but did not leave many pitches in the zone that Iowa batters could put a barrel on. His defense backed him up and did not let a Hawkeye get past first base in the final 4.1 innings.
After Austin Klug went the first 4.2 Jarvis Evans went the rest of the way as @PurdueBaseball advances to Friday’s quarterfinals against UCLA with a 8-1 win against Iowa, Evans doesn’t throw especially hard but changed speeds and hit his spots effectively in 4.1 scoreless pic.twitter.com/zJiM2xhQN5
Purdue added a run in the seventh and another in the eighth by consistently putting the ball in play against a depleted Iowa bullpen. With the 8-1 win, the Boilermakers will move on to the quarterfinals to take on number one seed and number one ranked UCLA.
With rain in the forecast for Friday there is no word yet whether the Purdue players will be required to support the ground crew in tarping the field.
· Ohio State — RHP Gavin Kuzniewski (6-2, 4.90 ERA)
· Michigan — LHP Shane Brigham (5-4, 4.50 ERA)
While it was not a cloudy, chilly day in November, the fact that Ohio State and Michigan faced off against each other meant there would be a lot of intensity. From the opening pitch, there was a lot of noise and energy on the field and the fact that it was also an elimination game, just multiplied that.
Ohio State swept the Wolverines last week in their regular season ending series leaving the maize and blue wanting to at least take one chunk out of them for the season.
The Buckeyes put their Friday night starter Gavin Kuzniewski out on the mound against Michigan’s freshman Shane Brinham. From that perspective, one would think a slight edge would go to Ohio State. That said, Brinham moved into a weekend position late in the season and pitched very well. To no one’s surprise, this one was dominated by the right arm of Kuzniewski and the left arm of Brinham.
In a game like this it is imperative that a team take advantage of any break given to them or mistake made by the opposition. That happened in favor of Michigan in the top of the third inning. After striking out Drew Culbertson, he walked both Dane Morrow and Colby Turner. After a mound visit from the Buckeye pitching coach, he hit Brayden Jeffries with the very next pitch. All of a sudden, Michigan had bases loaded with one out and their cleanup hitter standing in the batter’s box. Noah Miller came through with a two-RBI double to put the Wolverines up 2-0. That was the only hit given up by Kuzniewski on the night.
Brinham was dominant and into the seventh inning had only allowed three hits and one Buckeye to reach second base. Ohio State had been one of the hottest hitting teams in the league over the last month and they could not get to him.
After giving up the two runs, Kuzniewski entered into a zone where he was unhittable. Even having thrown 120 pitches, Kuzniewski was still striking out Wolverines in the eighth inning and sat down 15 batters in a row until Colby Turner reached on an error for the second time in the game. After surrendering a walk to Jeffries, Kuzniewski’s night was over.
Ryan Zamora came on with two Wolverines on base and two outs. Noah Miller came up big again with his second hit of the game, driving in Turner, who had reached on an error. Going to the Buckeye half of the
Shane Brinham threw is 100th pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning and struck out Henry Kaczmar, Noah Furtch, and Dane Harvey, the Buckeyes best hitters. Harvey was his tenth K of the game, which was a career high for the lefty out of North Vancouver, British Columbia.
After Zamora struck out the side in the top of the ninth, Brinham was sent out to pitch the ninth for Michigan. He had not gone this deep in a game in his young career and had thrown 110 pitches. After giving up his fifth hit of the game to Maddix Simpson, he struck out Mason Eckelman, popped up Lee Ellis, and popped up Grant Mangrum to end the game.
Two incredible pitching performances tonight. Michigan got the win and advances with only two hits in the game. This was also the second complete game of the tournament for the Wolverines as their closer, Cade Montgomery went seven innings in a run-rule win over Rutgers. They will play Nebraska at 5:00 tomorrow night.
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