Three Studs, Three Duds From Celtics Coming Up Clutch In OT Win Over Knicks
The Boston Celtics just won’t be denied on the road.
The Celtics and New York Knicks treated the fans at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night to a possible second-round playoff preview and those in attendance sure got their money’s worth. The Knicks for the first time this season gave the Celtics everything they could handle, but Boston got clutch play from both Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum to pull off a dramatic 119-117 win in overtime. Boston swept the regular-season series against the Knicks.
It was the ninth straight road win for the Celtics and puts them one win away from tying the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best record in NBA history. Boston, which owns a 33-7 road record this season, can tie that mark Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics earning a thrilling victory over their rival:
STUDS
Kristaps Porzingis
The 7-foot-2 center had the hot hand for the Celtics to knock down eight 3-pointers — it matched his career high — and net a team-high 34 points. Porzingis really caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 13 points in the frame and hitting all four of his 3-point attempts, including sinking a triple from the Knicks logo. His biggest shot came with 40.1 seconds left in overtime, though, when he hit a 30-foot triple to break a deadlock. Porzingis stretching the floor killed New York’s defense and Porzingis playing like that is a nightmare for opposing teams with Boston looking to repeat.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns struggled against the Celtics in three previous matchups this season but he shook those off to be a tone-setter for the Knicks. Towns scored 22 of his 34 points in the first half and secured 14 rebounds to complete a double-double performance. It was an efficient showing from Towns and he finally showed the Celtics why the Knicks traded for him this offseason. Towns only had one issue on the night: trying to stop Porzingis.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum carried the Celtics in the second half and delivered a clutch bucket, too, when he drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Tatum poured in 32 points on 11-for-22 shooting and also chipped seven rebounds and five assists. Tatum hit several contested shots in the fourth quarter as it was an MVP-like performance from him.
DUDS
Jaylen Brown
Brown didn’t look right as he continued to play through a nagging knee injury. The Celtics star made just 2-of-8 shots to finish with six points to go along with five rebounds in 22 minutes. Brown, who didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter and overtime, also committed three turnovers. The Celtics really should rest Brown over the final three games of the regular season to try to get him as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
Derrick White
White turned in 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but had a rough sequence in the final two minutes of regulation. He missed a wide open 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining in the fourth quarter and then on the ensuing trip down the floor, White got out-muscled down low by OG Anunoby, who put the ball back up for the go-ahead score. White then committed an egregious turnover on Boston’s next possession. He had a bad turnover in overtime, too. That’s an uncharacteristic stretch from White as he’s usually so dependable in crunch time.
Mikal Bridges
Celtics fans probably are laughing at the Knicks for shipping five first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Bridges. Bridges was supposed to help get the Knicks closer to the Celtics, but he really wasn’t much of a factor once again with the two sides meeting. He scored 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting and had an absolutely brutal turnover with 13.1 seconds left in overtime. The Knicks really need more from him, especially on the offensive end, when facing elite competition like the Celtics.