The New York Knicks stormed back to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night.
New York faced a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter but managed to battle and force overtime. The Knicks took control in the extra period and are now three wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 38 points plus six assists and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges added 18 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart had 13 points each.
The Cavaliers, who won Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, were led by 29 points from Donovan Mitchell. James Harden and Evan Mobley put up 15 points apiece.
Game 2 will be Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
Here's a look at the key numbers behind New York's miraculous come-from-behind victory Tuesday.
99.9%: With 7:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers held a 93-71 lead and a whopping 99.9% chance of winning the game, according to ESPN Analytics.
What followed next was the Knicks outscoring the Cavaliers 44-11 the rest of the way, defying the odds.
22: The peak of the Cavaliers' lead was 22 points in the fourth quarter. New York's victory marked the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in the playoffs in the past 30 postseasons. It also marks the largest playoff comeback in Knicks franchise history since 1970.
Only the LA Clippers in 2012 had a larger comeback when they were down 24 points against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
Entering Tuesday, teams trailing by 22 points in the fourth quarter of the playoffs held a record of 1-594.
17: Brunson dominated as the game wound down, dropping 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field across the final 12:49. The guard outscored the Cavaliers by himself during that span.
He also made a habit of targeting Cleveland guard James Harden on offense. Brunson shot 7-of-11 when Harden defended him in the game.
11: The Knicks carried their momentum over from the fourth quarter into overtime, aiding them to an 11-point victory. New York's 11-point win is tied for the largest overtime victory in a conference or divisional finals game in NBA history.
Remarkably, New York is the first team in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to win any game (regular season or playoffs) by double digits after trailing by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter.
4: Comebacks have been a part of the Knicks' playoff story in the past two years.
They now have four 20-point comebacks in the playoffs over the past two seasons -- twice against the Boston Celtics, once against the Indiana Pacers and Tuesday night. All other teams have combined for four of those comebacks in the playoffs during the same span.
ESPN Research contributed to this story.
