Josh Hart made the Cleveland Cavaliers pay for leaving him open.

Cleveland used the same defensive strategy as in the series opener in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night, daring Hart to beat them while focusing heavily on slowing Jalen Brunson. The strategy worked well in the first half, but Hart found his rhythm in the third quarter sparking an 18-0 run that propelled the New York Knicks to a 109-93 victory at Madison Square Garden.

With the win, New York takes a 2-0 advantage as the series moves to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday. The franchise has not held a 2-0 lead in the conference finals since 1994, when they eventually defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games to reach the NBA Finals.

Hart finished the night with 26 points and seven assists to lead New York. Though he shot 41% from beyond the arc during the regular season, he does so on low volume, which prompted Cleveland to routinely leave him alone on the perimeter to create a numbers advantage elsewhere. Hart missed his first three long-range attempts of the night, visibly showing his frustration on the court, but he stuck to his aggressive mindset.

He connected on three triples during the decisive third-quarter surge, turning a tight contest into a comfortable double-digit lead.

Knicks coach Mike Brown praised Hart's resilience after the game. Brown had pulled Hart in favor of Landry Shamet during Game 1, but kept him on the floor Thursday to disrupt Cleveland's defensive crossmatches.

Brunson took advantage of the space created by the defensive attention on him, recording a postseason-high 14 assists, many of which set up Hart for open looks.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged that the extra attention on Brunson allowed other New York players to hurt them. Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell noted that the team would look at the film to make structural adjustments before Game 3, comparing the strategy to how the defense handles Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso.

Defensively, New York limited Cleveland to 38.8% shooting from the field and 26% from 3-point range. Hart outpaced Cleveland's perimeter threats on his own, as Max Strus and Sam Merrill combined to shoot just 1 for 11 from the floor.