From The Sports Desk: Knicks beat down Cavs, pull within two wins of NBA finals

The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers convincingly last night and are now two wins away from their first NBA Finals since 1999. Yes, the New York Knicks.

Also, lots of soccer in today’s newsletter. Haiti’s Duckens Nazon is our World Cup player spotlight of the day, and Joe Prince-Wright breaks down the final weekend of Premier League action, taking you through all the qualification scenarios.

For more coverage, as always, check out the NBC News website.

The New York Knicks are one step closer to the NBA Finals after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 last night, taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

After a miraculous comeback in Game 1, the Knicks were largely in control of Game 2, leading by 15 headed into the fourth quarter.

The hero for New York was do-it-all swingman Josh Hart. After struggling in Game 1 because of his iffy outside shot, Hart led the Knicks in scoring last night, dropping 26 points to go along with seven assists and four rebounds. He shot 5-of-11 from 3-point range as Cleveland dared him to shoot from deep.

“Just a whale of a game from Josh,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

Hart added: “I knew I had to just keep shooting and if I did that, I’d be good.”

While New York got a balanced effort from its entire starting lineup, the Cavs are struggling to get going. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, but was laboring on the court, leading to questions about his health.

James Harden also had an off night. He had 18 points but shot only 40% from the field with two assists. Cleveland was outscored by 22 with Harden on the floor. The Cavs are now facing an 0-2 deficit for the second straight series.

“This isn’t our first time at it,” Mitchell said. “This isn’t our first time facing adversity. We’ve been through two Game 7s, so being down 2-0 is not the biggest challenge.”

Leading up to the 2026 World Cup, we’re counting down 26 players to watch. Today’s entry is Haiti’s Duckens Nazon.

Nazon is the greatest scorer in the history of Haiti, with 44 goals in 76 appearances. After a turbulent year, he will be bringing his striking prowess to a team desperate for World Cup success, as Haiti competes in the tournament for the first time since 1974.

Born in France to Haitian parents, Nazon has played for several leagues during his club career, bouncing around from India to England to Turkey, among other countries. He’s currently a striker for the Persian club Esteghlal, with whom he’s scored two goals in 19 appearances.

Nazon and his teammates will be representing a nation that’s endured much turmoil since its last World Cup appearance, particularly over the last two decades. From the January 2010 earthquake to the ongoing political crisis in Haiti, the national team has not been immune to the country’s geopolitical issues.

Despite not being able to host any qualifying games, Haiti clinched a berth in the 2026 World Cup. Nazon played a major role, scoring six goals during the qualifying period, including an electric hat trick as a substitute against Costa Rica last September.

Nazon, who also had to make his way out of Iran after the start of the war, knows the upcoming World Cup could provide hope for his country.

“We are ambassadors of our country and we know we have a responsibility,” Nazon told BBC’s “Sacked in the Morning” podcast. “We know the young people also see us as examples. But we don’t have to put extra pressure on ourselves and, when we play for our country, it’s more a mission and we do it with passion and with love.”

Yesterday’s entry was Iran’s Mehdi Taremi. Read about him here.

The race for European qualification is going to be epic on the final day, with so many variables meaning there is plenty on the line for up to eight teams.

Bournemouth has secured at least a Europa League spot, qualifying for Europe for the first time. And there’s still a chance it can reach the Champions League.

It has two ways it can do it. Beat Nottingham Forest and Liverpool loses at home to Brentford, with a six-goal swing in goal difference, meaning Bournemouth would finish in fifth. Or if Europa League winner Aston Villa finishes fifth, a Champions League spot would fall to whichever team finishes sixth. So, if Brighton or Bournemouth finishes in sixth in that scenario, it would qualify for the Champions League.

Brentford, Chelsea and Sunderland (the latter two square off) are all locked in a scrap for seventh place, which is Europa League qualification, while eighth place is a Conference League spot.

For Chelsea in particular, qualifying for one of Europe’s second- or third-tier competitions could be seen as a hindrance as it aims to rebuild for a Champions League push under Xabi Alonso next season and would prefer extra time to work and rest on the training ground each week.

But for Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford and Sunderland, qualifying for the Europa League or Conference League would not only be a great achievement, but it would also boost their finances and allow them to recruit better players over the summer.

The sports world was shocked to learn that Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, had died at 41 after a brief illness.

A new sporting event’s controversial pitch: Performance-enhancing drugs are welcome. Our Andrew Greif previews the Enhanced Games.

Alexi Lalas said U.S. players citing pressure are a “bunch of whiners.”

Titans coach Robert Saleh said removing seed oils from the team’s facility was a top priority.

NFL MVP Matthew Stafford is reportedly signing a one-year, $55 million extension with the Los Angeles Rams. His contract will now run through 2027.

The Western Conference finals have turned into a war of attrition. With Game 3 tonight, three key players are listed as questionable on the injury report: De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper for the San Antonio Spurs, and Jalen Williams for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The series is tied 1-1 and feels as if it could go either way. Whichever team gets healthier, faster, might have the edge. So long as Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are out there, we’ll be watching this one on Peacock.

- 8 p.m.: No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 1 Colorado Avalanche, on ESPN

- 8:30 p.m.: No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 2 San Antonio Spurs, on NBC/Peacock

That’s it for now! We’ll be back Tuesday.