BOSTON — The Celtics normally probe to find mismatches, shuffling through screens before making their move. The Knicks, a team built to beat Boston, gives up size and speed to the Celtics across the court. Even on one of their most stagnant possessions of the game, a late first quarter look where Luke Kornet couldn’t create space with a screen, Joe Mazzulla repositioned Jayson Tatum to the center of the floor. He floated through the Knicks lineup and finished an off-balance layup traffic as part of a 6-for-12 first half.
New York, already losing badly to the Celtics twice this season, looked even further away in their third meeting. Boston ran ahead of them in transition, Tatum torched them at the point of attack again and their offense shut off — perhaps the greatest concern. The Knicks started 1-for-7 from the field, fell to 8-for-26 (30.8%) by the end of the first quarter and only improved to 33.3% at halftime. The Celtics led by 21 points, and it wasn’t just the Knicks missing shots. Boston forced them into difficult two-pointers in traffic, created turnovers in the second with timely double-teams and planted Kristaps Porziņģis at the rim, comfortably playing away from Josh Hart.
The Celtics won, 118-105, defending their lead against the Knicks’ 35-12 second half run that threatened Boston with 11 minutes remaining. Derrick White answered with back-to-back threes and an alley-oop to Porziņģis that reestablished Boston’s double-digit advantage. New York could only walk away with a quarter or two of silver lining in three losses that dropped them 4.0 games behind the Celtics with 25 games remaining for the second seed and lost them the tiebreaker.
“You gotta take something positive out some things,” Jalen Brunson said. “Like the Cleveland game, just throwing it away. That’s the only positive from that game. I think the positive from this game is the third quarter and how we played, but I can keep saying all this s***, sorry, all this stuff, but we gotta go out there and do it. It’s as simple as that.”
The Knicks only attempted 17 of their first 48 field goal attempts from three early, making their deficit feel all the more insurmountable. Tatum defended Karl-Anthony Towns, taking his triples away (0-1 3PT first half). Al Horford and Kornet anchored the second unit, allowing Boston to continue positioning size around the rim and forcing the Knicks’ runs at the basket outside of the restricted zone. Porziņģis blocked Hart early when he tried taking available space inside the arc too far off the dribble. Porziņģis dunked the other way uncontested, a constant sight from the Celtics in the first half.
Jrue Holiday capped a six-pass possession with a three, Tatum shook off an 0-for-4 start with a cutting dunk and Horford put back his own miss in transition as the Celtics’ lead ballooned to 19 points at the end of the first quarter behind back-to-back Sam Hauser threes. The team’s non-Tatum minutes initially struggled into the second, the team beginning the afternoon with a +10.4 net rating with Jaylen Brown on the floor and Tatum off. Small ball pulled the Knicks within 11 points, but Boston ran White and Porziņģis pick-and-roll out of timeout for an easy three-point play.
Porziņģis followed with a chase down block and three to go back ahead by 16. Boston’s defensive energy reached a level rarely seen in the first half of the season, Horford coming off Precious Achiuwa to trap Towns on the baseline before stopping him one-on-one five possessions later. Another double team on Towns made him throw a pass away to Porziņģis, who led Tatum for a dunk. A pair of Kornet put-backs pushed Boston to a 21-point halftime lead. The Celtics lauded their defense after, but sounded careful not to celebrate a full season victory over a New York team they’ll play one more game against — and potentially more.
“We have good defenders and make it difficult on them,” Porziņģis said. “Obviously, they have really talented offensive players, but our versatility and the guys that we have on the team can make it really difficult for them. Obviously, it’s a dangerous team anyway, but we respect them and we came out the right way in the first and we set the tone for the game.”
That expanded to 24 early in the third as the Knicks looked like they’d fade again following a small rally to start the second half. Instead, with 5:42 remaining, Brunson rattled off 15 points while Boston went scoreless on seven out of eight possessions. Towns sparked the comeback with a three, free throws and a put back in succession, while a collision between White and Brunson in transition led to a hostile act review that gave the Knicks a breather. A Payton Pritchard three from Tatum on a skip pass and Pritchard alley-oop to Kornet gave Boston a seven-point cushion after three, but Towns buried a three to begin the third that slashed the Celtics’ lead to four.
New York never drew closer, White’s first three coming as the Knicks’ defense scrambled. He beat Towns for his second and caught New York sleeping on his in-bounds that practically flew over the back board to Porziņģis. Porziņģis blocked Towns on the following possession as he rose for a finish, sending him into an awkwardly landing on his left leg and out of the game. Towns returned four minutes later with the game out of reach, Boston ahead by 20 points, a familiar feeling for the Knicks who hope, despite an 0-7 record against the league’s best, that growth into the playoffs and Mitchell Robinson’s return could change their fortunes.
“It’s tough,” Hart told CLNS Media. “They got three-level scorers at every single position, they got the length, defensively, to make us get into tough shots offensively and I think in the first quarter, you saw, they probably had about three layups and then the Sam Hauser three in transition that really killed us, and that was from our bad offense … but man it’s, you got Tatum will probably be First Team All-NBA, Jaylen Brown will probably be Second Team, then Porzingis, White, Jrue, Pritchard’s probably sixth man. They got everything, man. They’re a heck of a team, well-coached team, disciplined team, but we gotta step it up.”
- Grand Ledge High School retired Horford’s jersey on Friday two decades after he graduated from there. Horford told CLNS that the ceremony would’ve happened sooner, but he and the school struggled to find a game to do it during between their schedules: “It was really cool. For many years, we’ve been trying to do it. With our schedule, it’s always been tough to get there for a game in-season…they presented the jersey in front of everybody. The coach, that was one of my former teammates out there, said some words, and they just did it. It was pretty cool. A lot of my family were there.”
- Xavier Tillman Sr. missed a third straight game with left knee inflammation that plagued him last season. Tillman said earlier this year that he felt healthy following an offseason scope to address swelling that ailed him after many games following his arrival in Boston from Memphis. Mazzulla said he’s doing good and was visible after practice on Saturday. Neemias Queta (illness) also missed Sunday’s win.
