Boston Celtics Dominate New York Knicks in 131-104 Win

The Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 131-104. Jayson Tatum took over with 40 points, helping to secure a blowout victory on the road. Jalen Brunson scored 36 points, but it wasn’t enough. The Celtics were without Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Torrey Craig. Meanwhile, the Knicks missed OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. The Boston Celtics improved to 37-16 and the Knicks dropped to 34-18.

The Boston Celtics Hot Start

The last time these teams played was on opening night. The Boston Celtics won that game, but much has changed since then. Tatum started the game off with a bang, getting a posterizing dunk. He followed it with a three-pointer and the Celtics jumped out to a 12-2 lead. Tatum and Jaylen Brown were scoring early and often. Also, without Porzingis, Luke Kornet got the start and had multiple blocks. Boston led by as many as 17 points. Brunson heated up, helping New York back into the game. Cam Payne made a floater at the buzzer, and at the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics led 30-19.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Payton Pritchard traded three-pointers to start the second quarter. Pritchard and Tatum’s efforts put the Boston Celtics back up by 17. Both players were hot from beyond the arc, keeping their team ahead. Payne was a great contributor off the bench, giving the Knicks’ offense a spark. Brunson and the Knicks made efforts to cut into the deficit before the half, bringing it down to 13, but Tatum, Brown, and the Celtics were outgunning them. At halftime, the Boston Celtics held a 61-48 lead.

The Boston Celtics played well in the first half. Tatum led with 16 points, shooting 4-of-8 from three. Pritchard had 14 points off the bench and Brown had 12. The only downside was that in both quarters, they allowed the Knicks to trim the lead towards the end. Their largest lead was 18 points, but it was 13 at the half. Brunson scored 18 points, although 11 of them came on free throws. Payne had 8 off the bench and Towns had 6. Even though Boston had led most of the way, they had blown leads before. So, this matchup between Eastern Conference rivals was far from over.

Jayson Tatum Takes Over

Brunson continued to score and get to the free-throw line in the third quarter. His scoring helped bring the game to single digits with a Towns dunk. The Boston Celtics had a cold shooting stretch, and New York went on a 12-2 run. Madison Square Garden was on their feet and the Knicks were fired up. They were hitting their shots and playing tenacious defense. New York brought it down to a three-point game.

The Celtics went back up by ten with buckets from Derrick White on a 7-0 run.  This ballooned to a 19-3 run, capped off by a Tatum step-back three. Tatum caught fire in the third, making everything from threes to post-fadeaways. In a tough environment, he snatched New York’s momentum, making shot after shot. He scored 19 in the third quarter, which is a season-high. This gave the Boston Celtics a commanding 96-76 lead.

After Tatum’s third-quarter explosion, the Boston Celtics held a sizeable lead heading into the final quarter. But the Knicks kept competing and playing with pace. It was desperation time, and Brunson continued to score with a four-point play. But even when Tatum went to the bench, Pritchard and Kornet stepped up. Pritchard hit more three-pointers and fed Kornet dunks in the two-man game. When the Celtics took a 27-point lead, the Knicks put in their bench unit for the final five minutes. The Boston Celtics secured a dominant 131-104 win.

Final Thoughts

The Boston Celtics improved to 37-16 with the win. Tatum scored a monstrous 40 points with seven three-pointers. His third-quarter takeover won the game for the Celtics. Pritchard poured in 25 points off the bench, shooting 6-of-8 from three. Kornet also had 14 points on perfect shooting with 12 rebounds. The Knicks fell to 34-18 with the loss. Brunson had 36 points and Josh Hart had 17. Boston took a 2-0 lead on the season series, winning by 23 and 27 points. They meet again after the All-Star break.