In a season that has seen them build an exceptional lead over the rest of the league for the best record in the NBA, the Boston Celtics entered Saturday night’s high profile showdown with the New York Knicks in the midst of their longest win streak of the season. Though the first half was a tight-knit affair, the Celtics broke loose in the second, and their win streak advanced to eight games on the strength of a 116-102 win.
Jaylen Brown had a big night, leading the Celtics with 30 points on a night where Jayson Tatum (19 points, 7-of-15 shooting) took a step back to let his teammates shine. All five of Boston’s starts scoring in double figures, along with Al Horford off the bench, and the team shot a blistering 58% from the field and 43% from three, overwhelming the injury-diminished Knicks. Star guard Jalen Brunson gave an admirable effort, scoring 34 points and dishing nine assists, but the Knicks had only one other player score in double figures (Josh Hart, 16) while the game was still competitive. They just didn’t have the firepower to keep up.
It was apparent from the get-go that New York’s chances were going to be channeled through Brunson. With the continued absence of Julius Randle (shoulder) and OG Anunoby (elbow), the Knicks needed every point Brunson could get them, and they spammed pick-and-rolls with him early. Brunson racked up 13 first-quarter points, the only Knick to attempt more than two shots besides Alec Burks (3 FGA), keeping New York in the game almost single-handedly through his 1-on-1 play. Brown countered with 10 points of his own, and the Celtics led by four after the first quarter, 30-26.
Notably, this was a quiet first half for Tatum. He attempted just two shots in the opening quarter of the game, and followed it up with just three more in the second frame, totaling just seven points. It felt like another data point in the ongoing debate regarding Tatum’s supporting cast and how it influences his candidacy for MVP. But, from the Celtics’ perspective, their franchise player’s willingness to take a backseat when called for remains a benefit. Brown was cooking and the role players were playing well; it never felt as though the Celtics were in need of a Tatum takeover in the first half.
The two teams remained deadlocked through much of the second quarter. Brunson’s output slowed, as he sat much of the quarter after playing the entirety of the first, but the Knicks maintained pace behind a strong performance from their new-look bench. Brown, however, continued to pile on points at a hyper-efficient rate. He pushed his scoring total to a game-high 20 (9-of-11 shooting), and the two teams scored 32 points apiece to maintain the four-point gap at the half, 62-58.
The duel between Brown and Brunson continued into the second half, as duo continued to helm their respective offenses in the third quarter. By the midway point of the frame, they tied each other for the game-high in scoring at 25 points. The difference, however, was Boston’s supporting cast. Tatum stepped up his activity level, and the starting lineup provided a balanced effort — all five starters scored in the double-digits tonight, and five Celtics made two or more threes — and the game started to skew in the Celtics’ favor. Their lead stretched as high as 20 in the third quarter, and they entered the fourth ahead 97-84.
The fact that the game sat at just a 13-point deficit entering the fourth felt like a win for the Knicks, considering that it came in spite of a Boston offense that had shot 65% from the field and 52% from three up through that point. The Knicks had weathered the storm and given themselves a fighting chance in the final quarter, in no small part due to a huge disparity in offensive rebounds (12 for New York, 3 for Boston). They imposed a physical advantage on the game, and combined with Brunson’s continued brilliance — he eclipsed the 30-point threshold in the third — the Celtics still had some work to do to close this game out in the fourth quarter.
Indeed, the Knicks managed to trim the Celtics’ lead back down to single-digits early in the final quarter, as a two-pointer from Bojan Bogdanovic brought them within nine. Perhaps ironically, though, the offensive glass finally benefitted the Celtics in a pivotal moment. They fought for a possession that saw a remarkable five shot attempts and ended on a tip-in from Horford to push the Celtics back ahead by 11. It was the sequence that seemingly defined this game. Tatum and Brown converted on layups on Boston’s next two possessions, and all the sudden, they were on a run. Seemingly within the blink of an eye, the Celtics were back ahead by 17, and the Knicks never meaningfully challenged again.
Next up, the Celtics roll forward with their stretch run schedule, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at 7:30 PM EST on TNT.
