NBA: Knicks finish sweep of Cavs, make first NBA Finals since 1999

CLEVELAND — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals with a 130-93 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night.

The Knicks, who will play in the championship series for the first time since 1999, extended their franchise playoff-record winning streak to 11 games, matching the third-longest run in a single postseason in league history.

OG Anunoby added 17 points, while Landry Shamet provided 16 points off the bench on perfect 4-for-4 shooting from three-point range. New York built a 29-point lead in the second quarter and stretched the margin to 123-78 in the fourth. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges contributed 15 points each, and Josh Hart finished with six points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 31 points, while Evan Mobley posted 15 points and seven rebounds. James Harden added 12 points but struggled with efficiency, committing five turnovers and missing all six of his three-point attempts.

Knicks coach Mike Brown is headed back to the NBA Finals for the second time as a head coach, having previously guided the Cavaliers to their first Eastern Conference title in 2007.

The 37-point defeat marked the Cavaliers’ largest home playoff loss in franchise history.

New York dominated the rebounding battle 60-33, with backup center Mitchell Robinson contributing 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes of play.

The Knicks seized control early with a decisive 20-0 run spanning 5:52 from late in the first quarter into the second. A dunk by Towns capped the surge and pushed the lead to 50-26.

New York later extended its advantage to 61-32 after Shamet hit his third three-pointer of the first half.

Cleveland had opened strongly, with Mitchell scoring 10 points and Mobley adding seven in the first six minutes to give the Cavaliers a 17-14 lead. However, a 9-0 Knicks run shifted momentum, and New York never trailed again. Robinson made an immediate impact off the bench with six points and four rebounds, helping fuel a 24-9 run to close the first quarter.

Cleveland backup point guard Dennis Schröder was a late scratch due to illness.

Among those in attendance were several celebrity Knicks fans, including comedian Tracy Morgan, filmmaker Spike Lee, and actor Timothée Chalamet. -Brian Dulik, Field Level Media/Reuters