Mayhem at the Garden as New York Knicks go 2-0 up in Conference Finals in front of Timothee Chalamet and Co

Madison Square Garden erupted into jubilant scenes as the New York Knicks cruised to a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night.

The Knicks inched closer to their first NBA Finals in 27 years when they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 in Game 2 in front of a celebrity-packed crowd inside MSG.

As Jalen Brunson and co shone on the court, the diehard Knicks A-listers brought the star power to the stands as Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller turned out in support of their beloved team alongside a new cast of celebrities.

Chalamet, who even skipped the Met Gala to cheer on the Knicks in the first game of the conference semifinals at MSG, once again took pride of place on the arena's famous Celebrity Row.

The Marty Supreme star was not joined by girlfriend Kylie Jenner on this occasion. However, he was spotted chatting to Tracy Morgan, who was sat a couple of seats down the row in head-to-toe Knick's blue and orange.

Ben Stiller, who, unlike Chalamet, sparked backlash from NBA fans for snubbing the Knicks for the Met Gala earlier this month, wasn't making the same mistake again.

The actor made it clear where his loyalties lie as he was captured rising to his feet and applauding New York as they stormed into a dominant lead.

Actors Jason Batman and Jason Sudeikis enjoyed a night of family bonding as they attended alongside their daughters.

Martha Stewart and Mariska Hargitay, who sported a Knicks puffer jacket, had also managed to snatch up front row seats. The celebrity horde also featured US tennis icon John McEnroe.

While former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg sat courtside, the city's current chief Zohran Mamdani opted for a more understated appearance.

Living up to his socialist reputation as a man of the people, Mamdani, who earlier in the day announced a $50 World Cup ticket raffle for New York residents, was spotted taking in the action from the nosebleed seats in the stands.

The mayor reportedly purchased his own ticket for the Game 2 showdown.

Mamdani was accused of curing the New York Mets earlier in the MLB season when the baseball team slumped to a 12-game losing streak after the mayor attended a game and met their mascots, Mr and Mrs Met.

However, his voodoo seemingly does not jinx the city's beloved NBA team as the Knicks had no qualms on Thursday night - even with Mamdani in the building.

Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, while Brunson had 19 points and 14 assists to help New York cruise to another victory lover the Cavaliers.

Mikal Bridges also scored 19 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who won their ninth straight game. That's the NBA's longest postseason winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight on their way to the 2024 championship.

Two nights after rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Knicks made sure they would be in control late with an 18-0 run in the third quarter that gave them a 71-53 lead.

Fans chanted 'Knicks in four! Knicks in four!' in the final minute, long after the starters had gone to the benches.

Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and James Harden had 18 for the Cavaliers, who will have to climb out of a 2-0 deficit for the second straight round. They host Game 3 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the celebrations spilled out into mayhem on the streets outside the Garden on Thursday night.

Jubilant knicks fans sparked wild scenes on New York's seventh and eighth avenues. Hordes of crazed supporters were captured hoisting each other into the air and letting chants ring out as they continued the party on the streets.

The Knicks are in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year but haven´t played for the championship since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.

Brunson scored 38 points and led the Game 1 comeback. He had only two points in the first half Thursday before making the first basket of the run that broke open the game.

Hart burned a Cavaliers defensive strategy that seemed built around leaving him open from long range after he was benched for the rally in Game 1, playing just three minutes combined in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The forward had been shooting just 26.7 percent from 3-point range and after a third straight miss from long range early Thursday, he put his jersey in his mouth and bit it, bouncing the ball down hard in frustration three times. But he kept firing and finished 5 for 11 on 3s.

Mitchell got off to a slow start with just seven points in the first half, triggering more of the questions that followed Game 1 about whether he was injured. His 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left gave Cleveland a 27-24 lead after one.

The Knicks led 53-49 at halftime. The Cavs got the first two baskets of the third to tie it, but Brunson answered with a 3-pointer to start the 18-0 run. He had two more buckets in the burst and Hart hit a pair of 3-pointers, the latter capping it to make it 71-53 with 5:36 remaining in the third. After the Cavs scored five straight, Hart made another 3 and Towns scored to restore the 18-point advantage.

Cleveland cut it to single digits with just under eight minutes left but ruined any chance of getting closer with poor free-throw shooting, missing 10 in the game and finishing at 68.8 percent. The Knicks eventually pushed their lead to 19.