For the second game in a row, Brunson briefly exited late in the game but was able to return. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Game 1 that Brunson went to get his cape. Well, he must’ve forgotten to grab it while he was back there on Monday. Brunson was still excellent in this game, but it wasn’t enough for New York to take care of business at home and head to Detroit with a 2-0 lead in the series. Brunson has now scored 34 and 37 points through the first two games, and he’ll continue to be an offensive juggernaut for the Knicks for the remainder of this series.

With the Pacers losing to the Magic on Friday, the Knicks secured the three-seed in the East before their game concluded. That doesn’t take away the sting of blowing a 23-point lead, but New York can take some solace in Brunson looking much sharper than he did in Thursday’s loss to the Pistons. However, while he shot over 50 percent from the field, he only had two assists on the night. Mikal Bridges (17/2/8/1 with one three-pointer) was the more productive playmaker against the Cavaliers, but the Knicks will need Brunson to do a bit more in setting up his teammates during the postseason. New York’s regular-season finale against the Nets may be seen as an opportunity to rest the starters before their first-round matchup with Detroit. If so, Brunson won’t help fantasy managers in active leagues.

Brunson only played 29 minutes on Thursday night, and he will be good to go on the second night of a back-to-back. New York needs one more win to lock up the third seed in the East, so expect Brunson to play a significant role against the shorthanded Cavs.