The Boston Celtics fell in horrific fashion to the New York Knicks 109-94. It’s Boston’s first loss since the All-Star break, while New York moves into sole possession of the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and picks up their sixth straight win. The Knicks now lead the season series 2-1.
That was ugly.
It was a putrid shooting night for the C’s, who ended at 21.4% from beyond the arc after going 2/19 (10.5%) in the first half. The team was also out-hustled on both ends of the floor, and couldn’t cut the New York lead to less than nine.
“I thought we got a lot of really good looks,” said Joe Mazzulla after the game. “When those don’t fall, it puts more pressure on your defense.”
After two taxing wins last week, Boston couldn’t rally enough energy in the absence of Jaylen Brown to match the Knicks’ physicality and climb back in it. The team also grew frustrated with the officiating as the game went on, culminating in a Jayson Tatum ejection.
“I just told [JB Derosa] that this was the best officiated game I’ve ever been apart of,” said Tatum, whose sarcasm wasn’t appreciated by the referees.
Jayson Tatum on what he told ref before getting ejected in #Celtics vs #Knicks:
"I told him this is the best officiated game I’ve been a part of. Tried to give him a compliment."
Full Interview: https://t.co/UQXbj2mEvf
⚡️by @betonline_ag & @AthleticGreens pic.twitter.com/zkjUXZOb4K
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) February 28, 2023
He finished with 14 points on 6/18 shooting and 1/9 from three. Few players had it going offensively tonight. The lone bright spots were Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart, who ended with 22 and 19 respectively.
The Knicks did not play a particularly clean game, but they came out with fire and wore the Celtics down. Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley led the way offensively with 23 points each, while Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson swarmed Boston on the defensive end.
“I thought they played a well-balanced game,” said Malcolm Brogdon. “I thought they had more people contributing. The first time we played them, they were very Brunson and Randle heavy. Now, I think they’re actually playing better basketball and moving the ball more.”
Malcolm Brogdon: "I thought we played good basketball … I thought we got the shots we want, that's a good defensive team."#Celtics #Knicks
Full Postgame Interview: https://t.co/CzT24TrPaM
⚡️by @betonline_ag & @AthleticGreens pic.twitter.com/XsnLwJkDn7
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) February 28, 2023
Boston got good looks from three that they plain missed, but New York also did a good job forcing the Celtics into taking low-percentage shots and turning the ball over.
“They’re a team that runs you off the line. They force you to take midrange shots, and analytics-wise, those aren’t the most high-percentage,” said Brogdon. “They stick to their game plan, they’re disciplined.”
The Celtics need to put this game behind them and refocus before Wednesday’s road matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
