Last Night in Sports: May 21, 2026

Two playoff teams tightened their grip on Thursday. The Knicks took a 2-0 hold on the Eastern Conference Finals with a 16-point win in New York, and Montreal opened the NHL's Eastern Conference Final by hanging six goals on Carolina. MLB filled in around the edges with a seven-game Thursday board carried by close finishes.

NBA Playoffs — Knicks take a 2-0 East Finals lead

New York Knicks, 109 — Cleveland Cavaliers, 93. New York controlled Game 2 from start to finish and now leads the Eastern Conference Finals 2-0. Josh Hart filled the box score with 26 points and 7 assists, setting the tempo as the Knicks pulled away. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points, but the Cavaliers never strung together the run they needed to climb back in. The series shifts to Cleveland with New York holding a commanding 2-0 edge.

NHL — Montreal takes Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final

Montreal Canadiens, 6 — Carolina Hurricanes, 2. Montreal opened the Eastern Conference Final with a road rout, putting up six goals in Carolina. Juraj Slafkovsky led the way with two goals and an assist, capping the night with an empty-netter as the Canadiens leaned on a tight defensive game. Montreal leads the series 1-0.

MLB — Seven-game Thursday board

Seven games, one shutout, and three one-run finishes. The Braves posted the night's only blowout; the rest of the board stayed tight into the late innings.

Atlanta Braves, 9 — Miami Marlins, 3. Atlanta piled up 13 hits in Miami for the biggest margin of the night, with Spencer Strider earning the win on the mound.

Pittsburgh Pirates, 6 — St. Louis Cardinals, 2. Pittsburgh wins by four.

Cleveland Guardians, 3 — Detroit Tigers, 1. Cleveland wins by two in the AL Central.

Toronto Blue Jays, 2 — New York Yankees, 0. Toronto blanks the Yankees for the night's only shutout in an AL East matchup.

New York Mets, 2 — Washington Nationals, 1. New York wins by one.

Oakland Athletics, 3 — Los Angeles Angels, 2. Oakland wins by one.

Arizona Diamondbacks, 2 — Colorado Rockies, 1. Arizona wins by one.

What to watch tonight

Both Western Conference series headline tonight, plus a full MLB Friday. Full details in the Tonight preview.

• NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 PM ET on NBC. West Finals Game 3, the series tied 1-1.
• NHL: Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche, 8:00 PM ET on ESPN. Western Conference Final Game 2, Vegas leads the series 1-0.
• MLB: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM ET. Gerrit Cole takes the mound for New York in an AL East matchup.